Nonlocal and nonequilibrium heat conduction in the vicinity of nanoparticles

Heat transfer around nanometer-scale particles plays an important role in a number of contemporary technologies such as nanofabrication and diagnosis. The prevailing method for modeling thermal phenomena involving nanoparticles is based on the Fourier heat conduction theory. This work questions the applicability of the Fourier heat conduction theory to these cases and answers the question by solving the Boltzmann transport equation. The solution approaches the prediction of the Fourier law when the particle radius is much larger than the heat-carrier mean free path of the host medium. In the opposite limit, however, the heat transfer rate from the particle is significantly smaller, and thus the particle temperature rise is much larger than the prediction of the Fourier conduction theory. The differences are attributed to the nonlocal and nonequilibrium nature of the heat transfer processes around nanoparticles. This work also establishes a criterion to determine the applicability of the Fourier heat conduction theory and constructs a simple approximate expression for calculating the effective thermal conductivity of the host medium around a nanoparticle. Possible experimental evidence is discussed.