Flexible Thermocamouflage Materials in Supersonic Flowfields with Selective Energy Dissipation

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Metamaterials
• Optics

Background:

• Thermal camouflage is crucial for energy, military, and space applications, particularly in the infrared (IR) spectrum.
• Existing flexible camouflage materials face challenges due to brittleness and anomalous dispersion.
• Development of adaptable and robust IR camouflage solutions is an ongoing research area.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and demonstrate flexible thermocamouflage materials (FTCM) capable of IR camouflage on arbitrary surfaces without mechanical failure.
• To overcome the limitations of polymer-based dielectric layers in flexible metamaterials.
• To investigate the performance and applicability of novel FTCM.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of FTCM by discretely altering unit cell structures, avoiding polymer dielectrics.
• Verification of flexibility, machinability, and IR camouflage performance using imaging methods.
• Measurement and calculation of spectral emissivity and quantification of IR camouflage effectiveness across different wavelength bands.

Main Results:

• FTCM demonstrated flexibility, machinability, and effective IR camouflage.
• Spectral emissivity measurements confirmed electromagnetic behavior comparable to conventional emitters.
• Quantified IR camouflage performance showed low emissivity (0.27) in the undetected band (5-8 μm) and higher values (0.12 and 0.16) in detected bands (3-5 μm and 8-14 μm).

Conclusions:

• The developed FTCM offer a viable solution for IR camouflage on diverse surfaces, including challenging environments like supersonic flowfields.
• These materials advance the understanding of metamaterials and their practical applications.
• FTCM are poised for widespread adoption in IR camouflage technologies.