Extremely broadband ultralight thermally emissive metasurfaces

TL;DR

This paper introduces ultralight, highly emissive metasurfaces capable of broad-spectrum thermal radiation emission, combining record-low mass with high emissivity, suitable for advanced thermal management in lightweight applications.

Contribution

The work presents the design, fabrication, and characterization of the lightest metasurfaces with high infrared emissivity over broad spectral and angular ranges.

Findings

Achieved hemispherical emissivities of 0.7 to 0.9 at 300 K.

Structures are subwavelength in thickness and ultralight.

Demonstrated potential for thermal management in aerospace and flexible electronics.

Abstract

We report the design, fabrication and characterization of ultralight highly emissive metaphotonic structures with record-low mass/area that emit thermal radiation efficiently over a broad spectral (2 to 35 microns) and angular (0-60 degrees) range. The structures comprise one to three pairs of alternating nanometer-scale metallic and dielectric layers, and have measured effective 300 K hemispherical emissivities of 0.7 to 0.9. To our knowledge, these structures, which are all subwavelength in thickness are the lightest reported metasurfaces with comparable infrared emissivity. The superior optical properties, together with their mechanical flexibility, low outgassing, and low areal mass, suggest that these metasurfaces are candidates for thermal management in applications demanding of ultralight flexible structures, including aerospace applications, ultralight photovoltaics, lightweight flexible electronics, and textiles for thermal insulation.