Polyatomic refractory metastructure for perfect absorption and efficient thermal management

Refractory materials, known for their exceptional thermal stability and robustness in extreme high-temperature conditions, have gained attention in recent years. These materials, including high-melting-point metals, such as titanium, tungsten, chromium, molybdenum, and tantalum, are ideal for applications demanding high-temperature resistance and durability. Here, we present the design of polyatomic refractory metastructures capable of achieving perfect absorptivity as well as near-unity emissivity. We design arrays of clustered refractory-metal nanodisks (tungsten and titanium) coupled to a same-metal backplane with dielectric spacers between the nanodisks and the backplane. Similarly, the spacer is made of refractory materials, silicon nitride and titania, respectively. By tuning the thickness of this spacer, our polyatomic metastructures achieve near-perfect absorptivity and nearunity emissivity across visible and near-infrared spectral ranges (0.4−2 μm). This work highlights the potential of refractory materials for high-performance absorbers and thermal emitters that are capable of withstanding extreme temperatures without compromising performance, thus paving the way for advancements in energy applications and high-temperature sensing.