Experimental study on the in-plane thermal conductivity of Au nanofilms

The in-plane thermal conductivity of Au nanofilms with thickness of 23 nm, which are fabricated by the electron beam- physical vapor deposition method and a suspension technology, is experimentally measured at 80-300 K by a one-dimensional steady-state electrical heating method. Strong size effects are found on the measured nanofilm thermal conductivity. The Au nanofilm in-plane thermal conductivity is much less than that of the bulk material. With the increasing temperature, the nanofilm thermal conductivity increases. This is opposite to the temperature dependence of the bulk property. The Lorenz number of the Au nanofilms is about three times larger than the bulk value and decreases with the increasing temperature, which indicates the invalidity of the Wiedemann-Franz law for metallic nanofilms.