Nanophononics and thermal energy control cross multiple fields including physics, nonlinear science, information science, materials science and engineering, and energy science and engineering. The research in this area has not only important scientific implications but also crucial guidance for potential applications in energy/information materials and related devices. The laboratory will conduct research in nanophononics and its various subfields, with the goal of developing techniques for thermal flow modulation and management. This research will provide theoretical and technical support for energy utilization and serve the national economy.

The China-Eu Joint Lab for Nanophononics primarily focuses on the theoretical, computational, and experimental research of the fundamental laws of phonons/heat, as well as the interactions between phonons and other thermal carriers such as electrons, photons, and magnons. The laboratory aims to achieve the processing techniques and applications of phonons as information carriers. The main research directions include:

Phonon/thermal statistical mechanics: This direction investigates the statistical behavior of phonons and other thermal carriers, exploring the universality and differences in thermal transport properties in systems of different dimensions. It also aims to break the classical Fourier heat conduction and provide theoretical foundations for the design and development of new thermal materials.

Thermo-phononic metamaterials: Phononic metamaterials are artificial materials designed to control phonons. By designing nanostructured artificial microstructures, these materials can exhibit unique thermal properties that are not present in conventional materials, particularly in various nanoscale thermal transport phenomena based on phonon wave nature.

Thermal dissipation management: Currently, the international semiconductor technology roadmap no longer follows Moore's Law, and one of the significant reasons is the continuous miniaturization and high integration of electronic devices, resulting in a sharp increase in energy density and device "heat death." When chip feature sizes shrink to the nanoscale, the physical mechanisms of phonon transport at the nanoscale and phonon interface crossing become critical scientific questions in this field.