Thermal Metamaterials for Temperature Maintenance: From Advances in Heat Conduction to Future Convection Prospects

Abstract

AbstractMaintaining temperature is crucial in both daily life and industrial settings, ensuring human comfort and device functionality. In the quest for energy conservation and emission reduction, several contemporary passive temperature control technologies have emerged, including phase change temperature control, shape memory alloys, solar thermal utilization, sky radiation cooling, and heat pipe systems. However, there is a pressing need for more quantitative methods to further optimize temperature maintenance. With advancements in theoretical thermotics and the emergence of thermal metamaterials, it is clear that temperature fields can be precisely manipulated by fine-tuning thermal and structural parameters. This chapter introduces three innovative devices: the energy-free thermostat, the negative-energy thermostat, and the multi-temperature maintenance container. All are grounded in the principles of thermal metamaterials and primarily operate under conduction heat transfer conditions. When compared with traditional technologies, the unparalleled efficacy of thermal metamaterials in temperature management is evident. Moreover, brief prospects present strategies to improve temperature maintenance under convection heat transfer, thus expanding the application spectrum of thermal metamaterials. This chapter concludes by spotlighting the evolution and interplay of the aforementioned three devices, marking the progression of thermal metamaterials from theoretical ideas to tangible engineering solutions. These insights not only bridge the gap between applied physics and engineering but also underscore the practical potential of thermal metamaterials.