Abstract
The thermal rectification effect refers to a phenomenon by which heat can be asymmetrically transferred through a system. For bulk materials, the thermal rectification effect can be achieved in a bi-segment thermal rectifier using materials which have thermal conductivities with different temperature dependency. However, the thermal rectification ratio is usually limited by using existing bulk materials. In the present paper, we propose to introduce zigzag-structure interfaces into the bi-segment thermal rectifier. The finite element method is employed to conduct the numerical calculations and the heat flux through the system is calculated based on the Fourier's law. It is found that the zigzag interface can improve the thermal rectification ratio by more than 36% compared a bi-segment thermal rectifier with a flat interface. The enhancement in the thermal rectification ratio is explained based on the theory of the transformation thermotics. The present paper provides a novel approach and analytical tool to design thermal rectifier with meta-materials and enhance the thermal rectification effect in bulk materials.
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