Title: Thermal Self-Regulation using Nanoscale Photonic Phase-Change Materials
Non-Technical Description: Humans, mammals, and birds are able to maintain their body temperatures at a constant value. Engineered materials that could regulate their own temperature, or maintain thermal homeostasis, would lead to transformative advances in energy savings and thermal control. The objective of this work is to use nanostructured, phase-change materials to achieve this goal. Educational activities integrated into the research will train undergraduate and graduate students in a range of skills useful for careers in science and engineering. The students will gain hands-on experience with computer simulation, microfabrication, and measurement. These skills will be useful for R&D careers in either industry or academia. Public outreach activities project will build understanding and appreciation of research careers among the general public. Photo-documentary techniques will be used to show the practice of lab research, including the work of women and minority researchers. The outreach program will be scaled up through an interactive workshop in which high school, undergraduate and graduate researchers will launch their own photo-documentary platforms for social media.
proposed work will explore the limits of thermal homeostasis via control over light absorption and thermal emission. Phase-change materials such as vanadium dioxide have optical properties that change dramatically at their phase transition temperature. Moreover, nano-photonic materials such as photonic crystals and metamaterials allow fine control over the thermal emission properties. This raises the possibility of designing materials whose absorption and emission spectra that self-adjust with temperature to minimize the temperature variation that they experience due to a changing heat load. Our technical approach will encompass fundamental theory, materials design, and experiment. We will use analytical models to understand the fundamental limits on passive temperature self-regulation in materials with engineered thermal radiation profiles. We will then use accurate electromagnetic models to design nanostructured materials with the desired thermal radiation profiles. We will make these novel materials using nanofabrication methods and test their radiative/emission properties experimentally. We will then test the material's ability to self-regulate their temperature. The outcome of this research will be an improved understanding of materials design for environments with varying heat loads. It will thus apply to a range of application areas, including electronics, building thermal management, and space-based systems. The scientific knowledge we gain will potentially lead to new methods for materials design and manufacturing.
