Phononic band gaps – the analogous to electronic band gaps in semiconductors – are frequencies ranges for which vibrations are not allowed to propagate in periodic structures. In contrast to well-understood electronic and photonic band gaps, being able to achieve forbidden frequency ranges for thermal phonons has been more challenging. In this talk, I discuss recent developments to understand and control the transport of thermal vibrations by wave interference and band gaps. Recent advances in the design and fabrication of nanostructured materials creates unprecedented opportunities to obtain wave-like behavior of heat and band gap control. The coherent interference of thermal phonons can be leveraged to manipulate heat as photonic and phononic crystals guide light and sound, leading to a fundamentally new approach to control thermal energy transfer.
Martin Maldovan is an Assistant Professor in the School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and the School of Physics at the Georgia Insitute of Technology. He received his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He obtained his B.S. in Physics from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. His research program is focused on the fundamental understanding and rational design of novel nanostructured semiconductor materials and metamaterials for the next-generation of energy technologies.