Perspective: Thermal and thermoelectric transport in molecular junctions

Abstract

With the advent of molecular electronics, tremendous attention has been paid towards understanding the structure-function relationship of molecular junctions. Understanding how heat is transported, dissipated, and converted into electricity in molecular junctions is of great importance for designing thermally robust molecular circuits and high-performance energy conversion devices. Further, the study of thermal and thermoelectric phenomena in molecular junctions provides novel insights into the limits of applicability of classical laws. Here, we present a review of the computational and experimental progress made in probing thermoelectric effects, thermal conduction, heat dissipation, and local heating/cooling in self-assembled monolayer and single molecule junctions. We also discuss some outstanding challenges and potential future directions.