Dynamic Thermal Emission Control Based on Ultrathin Plasmonic Metamaterials Including Phase‐Changing Material GST

TLDR

Dynamic thermal emission control is increasingly important for radiative cooling, thermophotovoltaics, and adaptive camouflage, yet existing approaches suffer from large thickness or continuous electrical/thermal excitation. This study experimentally demonstrates an ultrathin (≈0.023 λ) zero‑static‑power metal‑insulator‑metal plasmonic metamaterial incorporating phase‑changing GST to achieve dynamic control of mid‑infrared thermal emission. By tuning temperature, the device’s electromagnetic modes are continuously adjusted through intermediate GST phases, enabling continuous control of the emission spectrum. The resonance mode, arising from coupling between a high‑order magnetic resonance and an anti‑reflection resonance, shifts from 6.51 µm to 9.33 µm as GST transitions from amorphous to crystalline, demonstrating a pathway for dynamic thermal emission control in fundamental science and energy‑harvesting applications.

Abstract

Abstract Dynamic thermal emission control has attracted growing interest in a broad range of fields, including radiative cooling, thermophotovoltaics and adaptive camouflage. Previous demonstrations of dynamic thermal emission control present disadvantages of either large thickness or requiring sustained electrical or thermal excitations. In this paper, an ultrathin (∼0.023λ, λ is the emission peak wavelength) metal‐insulator‐metal plasmonic metamaterial‐based zero‐static‐power mid‐infrared thermal emitter incorporating phase‐changing material GST is experimentally demonstrated to dynamically control the thermal emission. The electromagnetic modes can be continuously tuned through the intermediate phases determined by controlling the temperature. A typical resonance mode, which involves the coupling between the high‐order magnetic resonance and anti‐reflection resonance, shifts from 6.51 to 9.33 μm while GST is tuned from amorphous to crystalline phase. This demonstration will pave the way towards the dynamical thermal emission control in both the fundamental science field and a number of energy‐harvesting applications.