A metafluid with multistable density and internal energy states

Abstract

Investigating and tailoring the thermodynamic properties of different fluids is crucial to many fields. For example, the efficiency, operation range, and environmental safety of applications in energy and refrigeration cycles are highly affected by the properties of the respective available fluids. Here, we suggest combining gas, liquid and multistable elastic capsules to create an artificial fluid with a multitude of stable states. We study, theoretically and experimentally, the suspension’s internal energy, equilibrium pressure-density relations, and their stability for both adiabatic and isothermal processes. We show that the elastic multistability of the capsules endows the fluid with multistable thermodynamic properties, including the ability of capturing and storing energy at standard atmospheric conditions, not found in naturally available fluids.