Tuning thermal transport in crystalline solids using embedded nanoparticles

We theoretically predict that thermal transport in crystalline solids can be tuned using embedded nanoparticles, which we call thermal doping. We exploit the strong dependence of phonon scattering cross-section on nanoparticle size and phonon wavelength to achieve the tunability. By adjusting the size, size distribution and concentration of nanoparticles, we theoretically show that the thermal conductivity can be reduced by a factor of 4 below the alloy limit