Plant-Inspired Thermal Metamaterials with Tunable Properties
Abstract
Aeronautical and space technologies must operate under extreme environmental conditions that challenge conventional systems for the management of thermal loads. Desirable solutions for addressing these challenges should involve a minimum of components and active elements, allow for multi- functional deployment within structural materials, and provide robust basis for the tuning of functional properties. In developing new technologies to accomplish these tasks, we propose to adapt strategies observed in the leaves of plants. These organs have evolved elegant, largely passive methods to manage fluxes of mass and energy to maintain hydration and provide thermal regulation while exposed to strongly varying environmental conditions. These physiological strategies bring together micro- and nano-structured materials in a manner that takes advantage of the coupling of mass and energy fluxes to drive function. In this project, we propose to use a new set of experiments tools and approaches to dissect the biophysical mechanisms of leaf function. We will take insights gained through these studies to design synthetic systems that capture essential physical features of leaf physiology to create a new class of materials capable of sculpting heat flow in an actively tunable manner. We will develop scalable methods of fabrication of these plant-inspired thermal metamaterials and develop a foundation of understanding and design rules. Based on this foundation, we will build and characterize materials with unique function, such as the ability to change their effective thermal conductance dramatically, provide large, tunable concentration of heat flux, and provide switchable thermal cloaking. Together, these studies will open onto a new concepts and capabilities to build high performance, multi-functional materials for current and future Air Force applications.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Mar 07, 2023
- Source ID
- FA95502110283
Entities
People
- Abraham D Stroock
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Cornell University
- United States Air Force