Molecular dynamics study on thermal conductivity of nanoscale thin films

A simple and effective model of heat conduction across thin films is set up and molecular dynamics simulations are implemented to explore the thermal conductivity of nanoscale thin dielectric films in the direction perpendicular to the film plane. Solid argon is selected as the model system due to its reliable experimental data and potential function. Size effects of the thermal conductivity across thin films are found by computer simulations: in a film thickness range of 2–10 nm, the conductivity values are remarkably lower than the corresponding bulk experimental data and increase as the thickness increases. The consistency between the approximate solution of the phonon Boltzmann transport equation and the simulation results ascribes the thermal conductivity size effect to the phonon scattering at film boundaries.