“Manipulation of Heat Transfer for Energy Materials:

Thermocrystals and Metamaterials ”

Controlling the flow of thermal energy is critically important in diverse research areas such as thermoelectrics, nanoelectronics, fuel cells, and solar cells. The use of nanostructured materials in the next generation of technological devices requires a deep understanding of how nanostructures influence thermal transport. In this seminar, I will show recent and future research comprising an exciting new class of materials to manipulate heat conduction which have emerged in recent years: thermocrystals and thermal metamaterials. Thermocrystals allow us to treat heat like light and guide thermal energy flow along counter intuitive paths, leading to a fundamental new approach for thermal management. I will also present current research on thermal metamaterials, which have been recently fabricated on mesoscales enabling devices that can cloak, concentrate, and invert heat flux. A broad range of applications are expected from managing heat transfer with thermocrystals and thermal metamaterials, including enhancing the efficiency of thermoelectric energy materials, creating ultra-low thermal conductivity systems, better thermal sensors, and improved heat management in chemical processing. 

 Short Bio:

Martin Maldovan received his doctoral degree in Materials Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, working on computational materials science and physics. He also received a M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from MIT. Martin is currently a Research Engineer in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. His research on nanoscale heat transport has been featured in The Economist, Nature, BBC News, Materials Research Society, and has been selected as one of the “Best of 2013” by MIT.