Researchers J. E. P’erez-Rodr’iguez, R. Esquivel-Sirvent, and A. Camacho de la Rosa from the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León in Mexico have published a study exploring the unique thermal properties of metamaterials with elliptical perforations. Their work, titled “Anisotropic Response in Metamaterials with Elliptically Perforated Plates: Applications to Near-Field Radiative Heat Transfer,” was published in the journal Physical Review Applied.
Metamaterials are engineered structures designed to manipulate electromagnetic waves in ways that natural materials cannot. In this study, the researchers investigated metamaterials made of planar plates with periodic arrays of elliptical perforations. Unlike circular perforations, elliptical ones break rotational symmetry, leading to anisotropic, or directionally dependent, electromagnetic and thermal properties.
The team used a combination of theoretical and computational methods to study near-field radiative heat transfer between these elliptically perforated plates. They examined how factors like ellipse orientation, aspect ratio, and separation distance between plates affected heat transfer. Their findings revealed that elliptical perforations allow for enhanced control over the spectral and directional properties of evanescent modes and surface polaritons, which are electromagnetic excitations that play a crucial role in near-field heat transfer.
The researchers found that these elliptical perforations can significantly modulate the near-field heat flux, offering new possibilities for thermal management and energy conversion. For the energy industry, this could translate into more efficient heat transfer systems, improved thermal management in electronic devices, and potentially more effective energy harvesting technologies. The study highlights the potential of geometrically engineered anisotropy in designing advanced metamaterials for near-field thermal applications.
This article is based on research available at arXiv.