title: Measuring the thermal boundary resistance of van der Waals contacts using an individual carbon nanotube.
abstract: Interfacial thermal transport via van der Waals interaction is quantitatively evaluated using an individual multi-walled carbon nanotube bonded on a platinum hot-film sensor. The thermal boundary resistance per unit contact area was obtained at the interface between the closed end or sidewall of the nanotube and platinum, gold, or a silicon dioxide surface. When taking into consideration the surface roughness, the thermal boundary resistance at the sidewall is found to coincide with that at the closed end. A new finding is that the thermal boundary resistance between a carbon nanotube and a solid surface is independent of the materials within the experimental errors, which is inconsistent with a traditional phonon mismatch model, which shows a clear material dependence of the thermal boundary resistance. Our data indicate the inapplicability of existing phonon models when weak van der Waals forces are dominant at the interfaces.
authors.affiliation: Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hirotani
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ikuta
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nishiyama
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takahashi
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008958:Models, Molecular; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D055672:Static Electricity; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013814:Thermal Conductivity
chemical_list: D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon