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High-Temperature-Resistant Mid-Infrared Capability for Extreme Energy Systems
Jingru Huang1, Jiamu Feng1, Mincan Yang1
1School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan, 430200, People's Republic of China.
Nano-Micro Letters
|July 9, 2026
Summary
This review introduces a framework for high-temperature mid-infrared materials, classifying them by function (reflectance, absorptance, transmittance) and structure. It aims to guide the development of durable mid-infrared technologies for extreme environments.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Optics
- Thermodynamics
Background:
- Extreme thermal environments necessitate advanced materials for mid-infrared (MIR) radiation management in applications like hypersonic flight and energy conversion.
- Conventional optical designs fail at high temperatures, making material stability under thermal, chemical, and mechanical stress a critical challenge.
- A unified understanding linking material structure to durable MIR functionality is currently lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a structure-informed framework for high-temperature-resistant MIR materials.
- To classify MIR materials into functional groups based on reflectance, absorptance/emittance, and transmittance.
- To establish design rules for predictable, field-qualified MIR technologies.
Main Methods:
- Categorization of MIR materials into high reflectance, high absorptance/emittance, and high transmittance classes.
- Analysis of material performance based on four structural determinants: electronic/defect structure, crystallography/phase stability, microstructure/mesostructure, and surface/interface evolution.
- Consolidation of material classes, spectral bands, functional metrics, and temperature limits into a comparative dataset.
Main Results:
- A coherent dataset enabling comparison of MIR materials across different functional classes and temperature limits.
- Identification of transferable design descriptors linking material structure to radiative properties and thermal survivability.
- A framework that interprets MIR material performance through governing structural determinants.
Conclusions:
- The review offers a roadmap for developing robust MIR materials by coupling radiative function with thermal survivability.
- Predictable, field-qualified MIR technologies for extreme temperature and energy flux conditions can be designed using the proposed framework.
- Understanding structure-property relationships is key to overcoming current bottlenecks in high-temperature MIR applications.
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