Tunable Thermal Transport and Thermal Rectification in Strained Graphene Nanoribbons

Using molecular dynamics(MD) simulations, we study thermal transport in graphene nanoribbons (GNR) subjected to uniform uniaxial and nonuniform strain fields. We predict significant thermal rectification (over 70%) in a rectangular armchair GNR by applying a transverse force asymmetrically. The heat flux is larger from the less stressed region to the more stressed region. Furthermore, we develop a theoretical framework based on the non-equilibrium thermodynamics to discuss when thermal rectification under a stress gradient can occur. We conclude with a discussion of details relevant to experiment.