Diameter dependence of SiGe nanowire thermal conductivity

We theoretically compute the thermal conductivity of SiGe alloy nanowires as a function of nanowire diameter, alloy concentration, and temperature, obtaining a satisfactory quantitative agreement with experimental results. Our results account for the weaker diameter dependence of the thermal conductivity recently observed in $Si1−xGex$ nanowires $(x<0.1)$⁠, as compared to pure Si nanowires. We also present calculations in the full range of alloy concentrations, $0≤x≤1$⁠, which may serve as a basis for comparison with future experiments on high alloy concentration nanowires.