Publication date: 21st July 2025
Nanocrystal-based solids represent a versatile class of materials whose collective properties can be finely adjusted by tuning parameters such as shape, size, chemical composition, and surface ligands. These materials are particularly relevant for advancing plasmonic, optoelectronic, and thermoelectric technologies. Controlling thermal transport within such systems is crucial, as local heating—whether induced by optical absorption or electrical current—can impair performance, cause instability, or trigger undesirable reactions. In this contribution, I will discuss recent findings on the heat transport properties of superlattices composed of gold nanospheres, nanorods, and nano-bipyramids. Using correlative scanning electron microscopy and spatio-temporally resolved thermoreflectance techniques, we accessed thermal dynamics with nanosecond resolution and sub-micron spatial detail. In polymer-ligand-capped gold nanosphere assemblies, we observed that monolayer configurations exhibit faster thermal diffusion compared to multilayers. Monte Carlo simulations incorporating quasi-ballistic phonon transport suggest this behavior arises from the interplay between extended phonon mean free paths and ligand interdigitation. In assemblies of gold nanorods and bipyramids, our results show that heat preferentially propagates along the nanoparticles’ longitudinal axis, maintaining directional flow even in bent or curved configurations. In ordered superlattices, this results in pronounced anisotropic heat conduction, with higher diffusivity along the particles' elongation. Finite element analysis and effective medium theory confirm that this directional transport can be tuned by modulating particle shape, aspect ratio, and packing geometry. Harnessing such anisotropy offers new strategies for improving heat dissipation and directing thermal flow within functional devices, all while preserving tunable optical and electronic properties.
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