Rectifiable Conductive Thermal Diodes Enabling Thermal Circuits with Selectable Operations for Thermal Logic Applications

Abstract

AbstractThermal logic paves the way to replace electric logic in scenarios where electronic signals are susceptible to interference or traditional electronics cannot be used, however, is still considered a theoretical and numerical stage. Emerging thermal metalmaterials (TMMs) have the potential to enhance thermal information processes. Compared to TMMs with single‐and‐fixed heat transfer capabilities, rectifiable‐TMMs enable thermal circuits to perform selectable operations, but they are also limited by low operating temperatures and narrow temperature biases. Here, macro‐ and experimental thermal diodes with tree‐like eutectic gallium‐indium/printed polylactic‐acid (EGaIn/PPLA) interface, are demonstrated to be capable of extending asymmetric heat transfer difference to 5.81 times in ambient operation, compared with basic EGaIn/PPLA interface with an input temperature bias of 63.7 °C. Given this, basic thermal gates can be constructed through the incorporation of resistors and a pair of diodes working in the same or opposite directions, with the propagation delay time td within 18 min. Compound logic gates can be cascaded by basic gates in the same way as composed Boolean functions, with td within 4 min. Such thermal circuits prove to perform reliably under dynamic ambient conditions, advancing the engineering of devices designed to manipulate thermal energy and process abundant thermal information.