Twisted moiré conductive thermal metasurface

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Materials Science
• Thermal Engineering

Background:

• Twistronics, based on the moiré magic angle in twisted bilayer graphene, has enabled control over electron properties.
• Opto-twistronics extends these principles to optics, but a thermal analogue remains elusive due to the nature of heat diffusion.
• The concept of a 'magic angle' is ill-defined for heat diffusion, hindering thermal control analogous to electronic or photonic systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and experimentally validate a thermal analogue of the magic angle effect for heat diffusion.
• To demonstrate tunable control over heat flow using twisted thermal configurations.
• To establish a new field of 'twisted thermotics' within the broader scope of twistronics.

Main Methods:

• Development of a twisted diffusion system with tailored thermal coupling.
• Experimental validation of heat diffusion manipulation through controlled twisting.
• Observation of functional switching between heat cloaking and concentration effects.

Main Results:

• Successful demonstration of an analog thermal magic angle effect.
• Experimental evidence of switching heat diffusion from cloaking to concentration by twisting the system.
• Validation of twisted thermotics as a viable approach for thermal management.

Conclusions:

• Twisted thermotics offers a novel pathway for precise control over heat diffusion.
• The established principles open avenues for manipulating thermal fields in various configurations, including fluids.
• This work expands the universal applicability of twistronics into the thermal domain, creating new possibilities for thermal engineering.