Reversal of thermal rectification in one-dimensional nonlinear composite system

Using nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations, a comprehensive study of the asymmetric heat conduction in the composite system consisting of the Frenkel—Kontorova (FK) model and Fermi—Pasta—Ulam (FPU) model is conducted. The calculated results show that in a larger system, the rectifying direction can be reversed only by adjusting the thermal bias. Moreover, the rectification reversal depends critically on the system size and the properties of the interface. The mechanisms of the two types of asymmetric heat conduction induced by nonlinearity are discussed. Considering the novel asymmetric heat conduction in the system, it may possess possible applications to manage the thermal rectification in situ directionally without re-building the structure.