Thermal Transport in Nanoscale Systems
A special issue of Entropy (ISSN 1099-4300). This special issue belongs to the section "Thermodynamics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 15
Special Issue Editor
Interests: thermal transport; materials science; physical chemistry; statistical physics; condensed matter physics; renewable energy; energy storage and conversion; machine learning and AI; short-range order; medium- and high-entropy alloys; atomistic and first-principles simulations; semiconductor materials; nanoporous materials; two-dimensional materials; thermoelectrics; ferroelectrics; quantum materials; quantum computation and quantum information; high-performance computing
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Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Nanoscale heat transfer underpins the performance and reliability of emerging technologies ranging from nanoelectronics and quantum devices to energy conversion and thermal management systems. As characteristic length scales approach or fall below phonon mean free paths and electron coherence length, classical descriptions of heat conduction break down, giving rise to rich non-equilibrium phenomena governed by quantum effects, interfacial scattering, structural disorder and correlated short-range order, and strong anharmonicity. Understanding and controlling heat flow in these regimes remain fundamental challenges with far-reaching scientific and technological implications.
This Special Issue, ‘Thermal Transport in Nanoscale Systems’, aims to provide a focused forum for recent theoretical, computational, and experimental advances in nanoscale heat transport. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, phonon and electron transport; thermal conductivity modulation; negative differential thermal resistance; thermal rectification, transistors, and logic; nanoscale thermal computation; interfacial and size effects; alloy and defect scattering, confinement, and morphology effects; and entropy production and non-equilibrium thermodynamics far from equilibrium in low-dimensional and complex materials. Particular emphasis is placed on emerging material platforms including two-dimensional materials and Moiré superlattices; nanoporous materials and metal–organic frameworks; soft condensed matter, water and biomolecular systems, and solid-state electrolytes; as well as neuromorphic materials and semiconductor alloys, glassy systems and quantum materials, thermoelectrics, ferroelectrics, and medium- and high-entropy alloys. Contributions leveraging atomistic simulations, first-principles approaches, machine learning, and data-driven methods to uncover structure–property relationships are especially encouraged.
By bringing together diverse perspectives across thermodynamics, materials science, and statistical physics, this Special Issue seeks to advance fundamental understanding and foster innovative strategies for controlling thermal transport in nanoscale systems.
Dr. Shunda Chen
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Entropy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- nanoscale thermal transport
- non-equilibrium thermodynamics
- phonon and electron transport
- thermal rectification and control
- interfaces and disorder
- low-dimensional and complex materials
- atomistic and first-principles simulations
- machine learning for materials
- thermoelectric and quantum materials
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