Methods and apparatus for creating an interface between a surface and a substrate, where the thermal conductivity of the substrate exceeds that of the surface. At least one of the surface and the substrate is subtractively nanostructured to create a nanostructured surface, each nanostructured surface is functionalized, and the surface is bonded to the substrate. The nanostructured surface may be functionalized using at least one of the processes of surface acid etching, oxygen plasma etching, atomic layer deposition, sputtering, e-beam deposition, and ion-beam bombardment or implantation, with or without subsequent reflow.