Electrically-driven reversible phonon transport manipulation in two-dimensional heterostructures

Phonon transport manipulation is crucial for various technological applications, such as thermal management in electronic devices, thermoelectric energy conversion, and thermal insulation. However, to date, viable approaches for manipulating phonon transport remain limited, particularly in achieving reversible manipulation. Here, we achieve reversible manipulation of phonon transport in a monolayer MoSe2-WSe2 heterojunction, by modulating phonon thermal conductivity through the switching of bias voltage. The measured thermal conductivity under electrical forward bias is significantly lower than that observed under reverse cutoff. This effect becomes more pronounced with decreasing temperature. Through theoretical modeling supported by device simulation and first-principles calculation, the decrease in thermal conductivity under forward bias can be elucidated by higher carrier concentrations and electron temperatures. Our results provide an electrically-driven phonon transport manipulation approach, potentially opening up possibilities for dynamical and reversible thermal design in advanced semiconductor technologies. Phonon transport manipulation is highly desirable in various nano-technological applications. Here, the authors achieve flexible and reversible phonon transport manipulation in a two-dimensional heterojunction via electron-phonon interactions.