Fast heat flux modulation at the nanoscale

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel method for rapidly modulating heat flux at the nanoscale using phase change materials, achieving high contrast and fast switching times, enabling advanced temperature control and actuation.

Contribution

It introduces a new electrically controlled heat flux modulation technique leveraging nanoscale radiative transfer and phase change materials, with unprecedented contrast and speed.

Findings

Achieves heat flux contrast larger than 10 dB

Switching time on the order of tens of nanoseconds

Enables new possibilities for nanoscale temperature modulation

Abstract

We introduce a new concept for electrically controlled heat flux modulation. A flux contrast larger than 10 dB is expected with switching time on the order of tens of nanoseconds. Heat flux modulation is based on the interplay between radiative heat transfer at the nanoscale and phase change materials. Such large contrasts are not obtainable in solids, or in far field. As such this opens up new horizons for temperature modulation and actuation at the nanoscale.