Radiative thermal runaway due to negative differential thermal emission across a solid-solid phase transition

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that negative differential thermal emission across a phase transition in vanadium dioxide can induce thermal runaway, with potential applications in infrared sensing, camouflage, and thermal management.

Contribution

It reveals the occurrence of thermal runaway in radiative systems due to negative differential thermal emission during a solid-solid phase transition.

Findings

Small heat generation increases cause large temperature jumps (~35 K).

Thermal runaway is linked to the insulator-metal phase transition in vanadium dioxide.

Controlling this phenomenon could enable new infrared technologies.

Abstract

Thermal runaway occurs when a rise in system temperature results in heat generation rates exceeding dissipation rates. Here we demonstrate that thermal runaway occurs in thermal radiative systems, given a sufficient level of negative differential thermal emission. By exploiting the insulator-to-metal phase transition of vanadium dioxide, we show that a small increase in heat generation (e.g., 10 nW/mm2) can result in a large change in surface temperature (e.g., ~35 K), as the thermal emitter switches from high emissivity to low emissivity. While thermal runaway is typically associated with catastrophic failure mechanisms, detailed understanding and control of this phenomenon may give rise to new opportunities in infrared sensing, camouflage, and rectification.