Voltage tunability of thermal conductivity in ferroelectric materials

DWPI Title: Method for controlling thermal conductivity of ferroelectric material used for e.g. circuit element, involves growing ferroelectric material film on substrate, and applying electric field across film to modify domain structure in film
Abstract: A method to control thermal energy transport uses mobile coherent interfaces in nanoscale ferroelectric films to scatter phonons. The thermal conductivity can be actively tuned, simply by applying an electrical potential across the ferroelectric material and thereby altering the density of these coherent boundaries to directly impact thermal transport at room temperature and above. The invention eliminates the necessity of using moving components or poor efficiency methods to control heat transfer, enabling a means of thermal energy control at the micro- and nano-scales.
Use: Method for controlling thermal conductivity of ferroelectric material used for medical ultrasound transducer and circuit element in microwave device.
Advantage: The thermal conductivity of ferroelectric material is actively controlled by simple and efficient process at room temperature, without passing through phase transition, altering material composition, and physical separation of component.
Novelty: Method for controlling thermal conductivity of ferroelectric material involves growing an epitaxial or polycrystalline film of ferroelectric material on a substrate, applying required electric field across the film to modify domain structure in the film, and altering thermal conductivity of the film.
Filed: 11/18/2014
Application Number: US14546147A
Tech ID: SD 12275.1
This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention.
Data from Derwent World Patents Index, provided by Clarivate
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