Nanobubble-induced significant reduction of the interfacial thermal conductance for few-layer graphene

The heat transport properties of van der Waals layered structures are crucial for ensuring the reliability and longevity of high-performance optoelectronic equipment. Owing to the two-dimensional nature of atomic layers, the presence of bubbles is commonly observed within these structures. Nevertheless, the effect of bubbles on the interfacial thermal conductance remains unclear. Based on the elastic membrane theory and the improved van der Waals gas state equation, we develop an analytical formula to describe the influence of bubble shape on the interfacial thermal conductance. It shows that the presence of bubbles has a considerable impact on reducing the interfacial thermal conductance across graphene/graphene interfaces. More specifically, the presence of nanobubbles can result in a reduction of up to 53% in the interfacial thermal conductance. The validity of the analytical predictions is confirmed through molecular dynamic simulations. These results offer valuable insights into the thermal management of van der Waals layered structures in the application of next-generation electronic nanodevices.