Designing nanomaterials that conduct heat in specified ways

ISN research scientist Dr. Giuseppe Romano, working with ISN-affiliated MIT professor Steven Johnson, has developed an algorithm and software system that can automatically design a nanoscale material that can conduct heat in a specific manner, such as channeling heat in only one direction. Partially funded by the MIT-IBM Watson AI Laboratory, this new tool may help lead to self-cooling computer chips and advanced thermoelectric materials.
This image shows a nanomaterial that has been digitized so its structure can be optimized using the researchers' computational technique.

This image shows a nanomaterial that has been digitized so its structure can be optimized using the researchers' computational technique, which designs nanomaterials that conduct heat in specific ways. Image: Courtesy of the researchers, edited by MIT News