Tuning thermal transport using phonon scattering selection rules

Heat flow in most crystalline solids is described by the Peierls-Boltzmann equation for phonon transport, which is computationally expensive to solve. In this perspective, we present the phonon scattering selection rules framework as a computationally efficient screening tool for novel heat flow phenomena and new materials with exceptional thermal properties, by examining its past successful applications, limitations, and advantages over other approaches to engineer the thermal properties.