Overview
Our mission is to explore the physical effects of energy transport particularly in nanoscale structures, and with this research we make engineering discoveries in energy applications. Specifically, we focus on modeling nanoscale energy transport (phonons, electrons, and photons) in solid-state devices. This includes thermoelectric devices, solar cells, and batteries, for example. We also study fundamental artifacts of small-scale transport such as thermal rectification and interfacial conductance in nanostructured materials.
Awards
-American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Elected Fellow
Selected Publications
Phonon transport governed by intrinsic scattering in short-period AlN/GaN superlattices. Baer BB, Walker DG, Lindsay, L, Physical Review B, 109, 104310, (2024) View Abstract
The foundations of Shockley's equation for the average electron-hole-pair creation energy in semiconductors. Pantelides ST, Walker DG, Reaz M, Fischetti MV, Schrimpf RD, Applied Physics Letters, 121, 042104, (2022) View Abstract
Low-valency gallium PAW for faster defect calculations in GaN using plane wave DFT. Brock CN, Baer BB, Walker DG, Computational Materials Science, 187, 110106, (2021) View Abstract
Metric based on the arctangents of the logderivatives for evaluating scattering properties of pseudopotentials. Brock CN, Tackett AR, Walker DG, Computer Physics Communications, 247, 106929, (2020) View Abstract
Narrowband Polaritonic Thermal Emitters Driven by Waste Heat. Lu GY, Nolen JR, Folland TG, Tadjer MJ, Walker DG, Caldwell JD, ACS Omega, 5, 10900-10908, (2020) View Abstract
Education
Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech, 1997M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Auburn University, 1993
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Auburn University, 1990