Concurrent guiding of light and heat by transformation optics and transformation thermodynamics via soft matter

Abstract

Controlling light and heat via metamaterials has presented interesting technological applications using transformation optics (TO) and transformation thermodynamics (TT). However, such devices are commonly mono-physics and mono-purpose, because the used metamaterial is designed to deal with one type of physical mechanisms. Here we demonstrate, for the first time, how to connect TO and TT via the liquid crystal 4-Cyano-4’-pentylbiphenyl (5CB) and, to exemplify such link, we present a multiphysics, multi-purpose device that simultaneously controls light and heat using such material. The anisotropic multiphysics properties of 5CB bond TO and TT, expanding the usage of these theories. The device, composed by 5CB confined between two right circular concentric cylinders, concentrates light (as a converging lens) and simultaneously repels heat from the inner cylinder when the molecules are along the direction and it disperses light (as a diverging lens) and concurrently concentrates heat to the inner cylinder, without disturbing the external temperature field, when the molecules are along the direction , contributing for saving materials and designing miniaturized multiphysics systems.

Design of a bifunctional thermal device exhibiting heat flux concentration and scattering amplification effects

“…Transformation thermodynamics, as one of the most important branches among the extensions of transformation optics, has become a subject of great topical interest since it has opened up a whole new avenue for designing astonishing thermal-manipulation devices previously deemed impossible or unconceivable [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. The most remarkable applications enabled by this technique might be the closed thermal cloak, which has the ability to guide heat flux around an enclosed region and holds great promise for potential applications in many fields, such as protecting the sensitive regions of electrical circuits or chips from excessive heating [12][13][14][15][16][17][18].…”