Smart patterned surfaces with programmable thermal emissivity and their design through combinatorial strategies

The emissivity of common materials remains constant with temperature variations, and cannot drastically change. However, it is possible to design its entire behaviour as a function of temperature, and to significantly alter the thermal emissivity of a surface through the combination of different patterns and materials. We show that smart patterned surfaces consisting of smaller structures (motifs) may be designed to respond uniquely through combinatorial strategies by transforming themselves. The smart surfaces can passively manipulate thermal radiation—without the use of electronics—because their modus operandi has already been programmed into their intrinsic characteristics; the environment provides the energy required for their activation. Each motif emits thermal radiation in a certain manner, as it changes its geometry; however, the spatial distribution of these motifs causes them to interact with each other. Therefore, their combination and interaction determine the global behaviour of the surfaces, thus enabling their a priori design. The emissivity behaviour is not random; it is determined by two fundamental parameters, namely the combination of orientations in which the motifs open (n-fold rotational symmetry) and the combination of materials (colours) on the motifs; these generate functions which fully determine the dependency of the emissivity on the temperature.