Highly flexible and temperature-tolerant phase change devices for dual-band camouflage

Abstract

Here, we have developed a more temperature-tolerant emitter with a gradient emittance, which can enable adaptation to changing environmental conditions. Such a thermal emitter is mainly constructed by multilayered films composed of nitrogen (N)-doped Ge2Sb2Te5 (N-GST) and an underlying metal film. The proposed device not only possesses special wavelength selectivity in the middle infrared range but can also dynamically adjust average emissivity (from 0.13 to 0.83) through the degree of crystallization. Besides, N doping can elevate the phase transition temperature of GST and enhance its thermal resistance, which renders it particularly well-suited for applications in higher temperature environments than pure GST. This emitter also shows strong adhesion capability and high flexibility against bending, enabling more practical and widespread situations. By using a multi-layer structure, we combined the more temperature-tolerant and dynamically modulating N-GST emitter with an optical thin film, successfully achieving dual camouflage for both infrared and visible light. The element doping technology and multi-layer stacking approach presented in this research will provide valuable insight for the development of dynamic emissive materials in multi-spectral camouflage scenarios.