Project C01: Anisotropic thermal transport in layered hybrid materials
Project C01 will systematically structure 2D hybrid materials with a soft-hard interface on a nanoscopic length scale to provide seminal insights into the transport across interfaces and along the basal planes. The directional heat and electronic transport in compact thin films of silicates, niobates or titanates, and heat conduction via the percolating framework in hierarchically porous sponges composed of the same nanocomposites, will be examined. For both, we will develop advanced methods to elucidate the orientation- and temperature-dependent transport properties. We aim to utilize the high materials anisotropy to separate and orthogonalize heat and electron transport.
Project C02: Thermal transport in 2D layered chalcogenide-based heterostructures
Project C02 combines experiment and theory to understand and control the anisotropic heat and electron transport in nanostructured materials based on 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). By applying a novel synthesis method for pristine TMD nanosheets based on thermodynamically driven one-dimensional dissolution, we will prepare well-defined inorganic-organic hybrid materials. The highly anisotropic in- and crossplane heat and electron transport will be rationalized with exhaustive theory modelling that aims to understand the transition from ballistic to diffusive transport.
Project C03: Probing electron and heat conductivities on a local scale
Project C03 focuses on the development of techniques that allow for probing electronic and thermal conductivity on a local scale, which will be based on atomic force microscopy (AFM) and other scanning probe methods. AFM probes the surface topography and surface properties such as adhesion, elasticity, and surface potential in addition to the in- and cross-plane electronic conductivity of the sample. This setup will allow for 2-point probe measurements of conductivity in the nanometre regime and will be correlated with scanning microwave impedance spectroscopy or nano-dielectric spectroscopy to determine sub-surface properties.
Project C04: Modulation of electron and thermal transport in nanostructured blend/copolymer systems by thermomechanical control
Project C04 investigates percolating networks on different scales for electron and heat transport through phase-separated polymer blends. Electron and heat-transporting nanofillers will be used to create carrier-type specific 3D confinements within an insulating polymeric matrix. The structure and size of the percolating network will be controlled by adding tailor-made block copolymers in combination with elaborate processing techniques. Furthermore, the influence of thermal and mechanical loads on the respective transport properties will be evaluated, which can also be used to manipulate the thermal and electric conductivity.
Project C05: Thermal and electronic transport in hierarchically structured fibrous nonwovens
Project C05 uses the structural hierarchy in nonwoven materials to understand heat and electron conduction as a function of polymer composition, fibre size, and network topology. Electric transport is introduced by pyrolysis and embedding electrically conductive silver nanowires. The impact of tailored nonwovens from random to spiral-like and highly aligned structures on heat and electronic transport will be investigated experimentally and by simulations. By employing graph theory, we aim to gain a deeper understanding of the interplay between the nonwoven structure and the resulting transport.