Smart Thermal Metamaterials

The main goal of this proposal, to propose self-adaptive thermal regulation systems that are smart, green, aesthetically pleasing and engineering applicable, is in line with the RePowerEU plan that efforts in saving energy and decarbonising heat.

In this project, new thermal metamaterials are designed that integrates smart radiative cooling, high solar reflectance and customized colour, a multi-function design not previously available.

Utilizing the metal-insulator transition of phase changing materials, the thermal metamaterial adapts its thermal emissivity smartly to different ambient temperatures, thus intelligently switching between “on cooling” mode in hot times and “off cooling” mode in cold times, which benefits creating comfortable household conditions and contributing to energy saving from an all-season perspective.

Besdies, the thermal metamaterial can present vivid colours to satisfy aesthetic needs.

Considering that thermally induced deformation can lead to structural failure of designed thermal metamaterials and affect their working life, mechanical robustness is also considered for scalable production and for real-world applications. A new inverse method is developed to accurately predict the structural deformation by eigenstrain reconstruction.

On basis of this, mechanical stability strategy is proposed to eliminate the deformation, which pushes the smart regulation system closer to real-world application.The proposed design is estimated to save at least 134 €/year for a single family in Besançon, Franche-Comté, France.

The resulted energy savings not only bring economic benefits but also contribute to environmental preservation and climate change suppression by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This project can create significant impact in household energy saving and industrial heat management sectors.