Thermal Manipulation Research Articles

Design and Analysis of a Temperature-Sensitive Thermal Meta-Regulator Possessing Different Heat Distribution Modes

The control and regulation of thermal fields is of great significance in solving various thermal management problems in human life. Benefitting from the emerging space transformation technique and thermal meta-material, thermal meta-structures with unique thermal control capabilities have been rapidly developed in recent years. However, the exploration of the functional diversity of thermal meta-materials and structures is still inadequate; most related works are still limited to the single-field control effect and lack sensitivity to external environment changes. For the designed functional structures, observation and analysis of energy fluctuations and irreversible heat loss during the regulation process of the diffusive thermal field are also scare. Therefore, in this current work, we design a thermal meta-regulator (based on the space transformation theory) that is capable of differently distributing thermal energy according to the heat input direction and switching field control pattern with the change of ambient temperature. In addition to the common indicator of temperature, we also introduce the local entropy production rate and the total entropy production in the thermo-dynamic category to carry out entropy analysis of the energy processes involved in the thermal meta-regulator, making a multi-angle evaluation of the structural performance. Furthermore, we use the statistical response surface method to explore the comprehensive/interaction effect of multiple influencing factors on the thermal meta-regulator; the derived regression equations can be used to accurately predict the structural effects under different design schemes and temperature conditions. Our work further enriches the diversity and flexibility of thermal field manipulation manners and the demonstrated functions are also expected to be realized in other physical fields.

Naked neck gene and intermittent thermal manipulations during embryogenesis improve posthatch performance and thermotolerance in slow-growing chickens under tropical climates

Many studies have shown that thermal manipulations during the incubation (TMI) and naked neck gene (Na) positively affect heat-stressed broilers' thermotolerance, hatching process, and posthatch performance. Their combination could increase the beneficial effect on broilers reared under natural tropical climatic conditions. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the Na gene and TMI on hatching and posthatch performance of slow-growing broilers under tropical climates. The study included 1,200 hatching eggs from 2 different crosses: 1) females and males, both with a normal or fully feathered neck (na na group), and 2) females (with a normal neck) and males (bare neck) (Na na group), incubated in similar conditions until d 7. Thereafter, they were assigned to 3 subgroups for each cross: the control group (C) was incubated at standard incubation conditions (37.8°C, 60% RH). The TMI-1 group was subjected to TMI-1 (T=38.5°C, RH=65%, E10-18, 6 h/d) and TMI-2 group to TMI-2 (T=39.5°C, RH=65%, E7-16, 12 h/d). Between 450 and 504 h of incubation, eggs were checked for hatching events. During the posthatch phase, chicks from each incubation subgroups (Na na-C, Na na-TMI-1, Na na-TMI-2, na na-C, na na-TMI-1, na na-TMI-2) were raised for 12 wk at a tropical natural ambient temperature. Hatchability, hatching time, chick's temperature, final body weight (FBW), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were determined. The results revealed that the Na gene reduced (P ˂ 0.05) hatchability. The control group had the highest mortality rate compared to TMI-1 and TMI-2 groups. There was an interaction between genotype and TMI on incubation duration, hatching weight, chick quality, FBW, and FCR (P ˂ 0.05). In conclusion, the Na gene influenced the effects of thermal manipulation. TMI-1 combined with Na gene improved the productive performances of broilers in a tropical climate.

Heat stress affects breathing and metabolism of chicks incubated at high temperature

Global warming poses serious implications to animal physiology and a gradual increase in ambient temperature affects all living organisms, particularly fast-growing selected species. We recorded ventilation (V̇E), body temperature (TB), oxygen consumption (V̇O2) and respiratory equivalent (V̇E/V̇O2) of 14-day-old (14d) male and female chicks at room air conditions, hypercapnia and hypoxia at heat stress (HS, 32 °C). These chicks had previously been exposed to control (CI, 37.5 °C) and high (HI, 39 °C) temperatures during the first 5 days of incubation. Under resting conditions, acute HS increased V̇E in HI females but not in HI males. Hypercapnia combined with heat promoted a potentiation of CO2-hyperventilatory response in HI females when compared with thermoneutral condition, whereas in HI incubated males a hypoventilation under hypercapnia and heat stress was observed compared to the CI group. Hypoxia associated with heat stress increased V̇E only in HI females. Our data indicates that females are more sensitive to thermal manipulation during incubation and it seems that the thermal embryonic manipulation, at least during the first days of development, does not improve the adaptive response of chicks to heat stress.

Embryonic modulation through thermal manipulation and in ovo feeding to develop heat tolerance in chickens.

Healthy chickens are necessary to meet the ever-increasing demand for poultry meat. Birds are subjected to numerous stressful conditions under commercial rearing systems, including variations in the environmental temperature. However, it is difficult to counter the effects of global warming on the livestock industry. High environmental temperature is a stressful condition that has detrimental effects on growth and production performance, resulting in decreased feed intake, retarded growth, compromised gut health, enhanced oxidative stress, and altered immune responses. Traditional approaches include nutritional modification and housing management to mitigate the harmful effects of hot environments. Currently, broiler chickens are more susceptible to heat stress (HS) than layer chickens because of their high muscle mass and metabolic rate. In this review, we explored the possibility of in ovo manipulation to combat HS in broiler chickens. Given their short lifespan from hatching to market age, embryonic life is thought to be one of the critical periods for achieving these objectives. Chicken embryos can be modulated through either temperature treatment or nourishment to improve thermal tolerance during the rearing phase. We first provided a brief overview of the harmful effects of HS on poultry. An in-depth evaluation was then presented for in ovo feeding and thermal manipulation as emerging strategies to combat the negative effects of HS. Finally, we evaluated a combination of the two methods using the available data. Taken together, these investigations suggest that embryonic manipulation has the potential to confer heat resistance in chickens.

Effect of strain, thermal manipulations during incubation on productive performance of Dokii-4 and Golden Montazah chickens

Effect of strain, thermal manipulations during incubation on productive performance of Dokii-4 and Golden Montazah chickens

Degradation products of the abuse deterrent agent Poly(ethylene) oxide under thermal manipulation conditions

Degradation products of the abuse deterrent agent Poly(ethylene) oxide under thermal manipulation conditions

Optimization of embryonic thermal programming confirms increased liver fattening in mule ducks and changes in lipid metabolism.

Introduction: The embryonic thermal programming (TM) in birds has been shown to impact several physiological parameters such as resistance to thermal stress, muscle growth or immunity. In mule ducks, it has recently been shown that TM can induce metabolic programming resulting in increased liver weight and fat storage after overfeeding. However, a decrease in hatchability and foie gras quality was also observed, suggesting that this technique needs to be optimized. Here, we tested a new thermal manipulation condition determined with the objective of avoiding negative impacts while maintaining or improving liver properties. Methods: The eggs of the control group were incubated at 37.6°C during the whole incubation period while those of the experimental group (TM group) were incubated at 39.3°C 16h/24h from the 11th day of incubation to the 21st. After hatching, all the animals were fed and raised under the same conditions until the age of 12weeks. At this stage, one part of the animals was overfed and then slaughtered 2h (to measure rapid changes in metabolism) or 10h after the last meal (to obtain the best technological yields), while the other part was ration-fed and slaughtered 2h after the last meal, at the same age. Results: An 8% increase in foie gras production was measured in the TM group compared to the control group without altering the quality of the final product (nor hatchability), confirming the successful optimization of the metabolic programming. Interestingly, these results allowed us not to reject the previously suggested hypothesis of a potential delay in metabolic processes involved in liver fattening in programmed animals, in particular by measuring a trend reversal regarding the amount of total hepatic lipids in both groups at 2h and then 10h after the last meal. Discussion: This study therefore validates the optimization of metabolic programming by embryonic thermal manipulation for duck liver fattening. The understanding of the mechanisms of embryonic thermal programming in birds remains today very incomplete and the search for epigenetic marks (main hypothesis of the concept of programming) at the origin of the observed phenotypes could be the next step of this work.

Multilevel thermal memory cell based on cyclic temperature experiment under glassy phase of frustrated magnet

We depict here that the value of the relaxed magnetization follows a unique path for each temperature below the phase transition temperature () for pristine and its substituents. Here we propose a way to access these paths by cyclic thermal manipulations. Thus the magnetization corresponding to each temperature below can be utilized in multilevel data storage that has a potential application in the thermal memory cell. Furthermore, these results were compared with another route used in the thermal memory cell and were proven more efficient and faster than the latter one.

Effect of thermal manipulation during embryogenesis on gene expression of myogenic upstream activation factors pre- and post-hatch in broilers

This study aimed to determine the optimum timing of embryonic thermal manipulation (TM) that may result in improvement of mRNA expression of myogenic upstream activation factors viz. Wnt family member-3 (Wnt-3), sonic hedgehog gene (Shh), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and paired-box transcription factor-7 (Pax-7) during development and histogenesis of broiler muscle. Fertile eggs (1440) were divided randomly and equally into 5 treatment groups including control (no TM) and four treatment groups (TM1, TM2 TM3 and TM4) that were daily subjected to 39 ̊C for 18 h with 65% relative humidity during embryonic days ED 7–11, ED 11–15, ED 15–18 and ED 7–18 respectively. Pectoral and thigh muscle mRNA expressions of myogenic upstream activation factors were evaluated by semi-quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Out of TM conditions that were investigated, TM1 resulted in a significant improvement of Wnt-3, Shh, PCNA and Pax-7 expressions in broiler pectoral and thigh muscles during embryonic and post-hatch life when compared to the control. Thus, thermal manipulation during early embryongenesis (embryonic days ED 7-11) enhance broiler skeletal muscle myoblast proliferation by triggering and inducing transcription factors that regulates myogenesis and subsequently may lead to improve cell number and size of skeletal muscle. The outcome of this study indicates that TM during ED7-11 improved muscle response to heat stress, was safe to the pectoral and thigh muscles and this method may enhance myogenesis and muscle growth in a positive manner.

Effects of embryonic thermal manipulation on the immune response to post-hatch Escherichia coli challenge in broiler chicken.

Thermal manipulation (TM), exposure to mild heat shock during embryogenesis, which is a critical developmental period of broiler chickens, improves tissue stability, oxidative stress response, and immune response during heat stress. Thermal manipulation could be more cost-effective than other methods to boost the immune response. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of TM during embryogenesis, concomitant with an Escherichia coli challenge, on body weight (BW), body temperature (Tb), and splenic mRNA expression of cytokines (Interleukin [IL]-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, IL-15, IL-16, IL-18, and interferon [IFN]-γ) in poultry. A total of 740 fertile eggs were procured from a certified Ross broiler breeder. The eggs were divided into two incubation groups: the control and TM groups. The eggs in the control group were kept at 37.8°C air temperature and 56% relative humidity (RH) during incubation; eggs of the TM group were incubated under standard conditions, except for embryonic days 10-18, during which they were incubated at 39°C and 65% RH for 18 h daily. On the 7th day of incubation, eggs with dead embryos were excluded. After hatching was complete, each group was further subdivided into saline-treated or E. coli-challenged groups. The E. coli (serotype 078 with the dose of 1.5 × 105 colony-forming unit/mL) challenge was performed when the birds were 20 days old. Body weight and Tb measurements were taken on post-hatch days 20, 21, 23, and 25. Splenic mRNA expression of cytokines (IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, IL-15, IL-16, IL-18, and IFN-γ) was analyzed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Following the E. coli challenge, the TM-treated group's body performance parameters (BW and Tb) were significantly increased compared with the control group. Body weight was higher in the TM group than in the control group (p < 0.05); Tb was lower in the TM group than in the control group (p < 0.05). The mRNA levels of IL and IFN-γ were more stable and moderately induced in the TM group compared with the control group. Thermal manipulation altered the basal mRNA levels of ILs and IFN-γ and changed their expression dynamics after the E. coli challenge. Thermal manipulation during embryogenesis could boost the immune system response to E. coli.

Thermal Plasticity in Behavioral Traits Mediates Mating and Reproductive Dynamics in an Ectotherm.

AbstractEnvironmental temperatures potentially influence reproductive performance and sexual selection by restricting opportunities for activity. However, explicit tests of the behavioral mechanisms linking thermal variation to mating and reproductive performance are rare. We address this gap in a temperate lizard by combining social network analysis with molecular pedigree reconstruction in a large-scale thermal manipulation experiment. Populations exposed to cool thermal regimes presented fewer high-activity days compared with populations exposed to a warmer regime. While plasticity in thermal activity responses in males masked overall differences in activity levels, prolonged restriction nevertheless affected the timing and consistency of male-female interactions. Females were less capable than males of compensating for lost activity time under cold stress, and less active females in this group were significantly less likely to reproduce. While sex-biased activity suppression appeared to limit male mating rates, this did not correspond to a heightened intensity of sexual selection or shifts in the targets of sexual selection. In many populations facing thermal activity restriction, sexual selection on males may play a limited role relative to other thermal performance traits in facilitating adaptation.

Tesla Valve Microfluidics: The Rise of Forgotten Technology

The Tesla valve (TV), a valvular conduit invented by Nicola Tesla over a century ago, has recently acquired significant attention and application in various fields because of the growing interest in microfluidics and nanofluidics. The unique architecture of TV characterized by an asymmetrical design and an arc-shaped channel has long been an intriguing yet underrated design for building a passive component in a microfluidic system. While previously regarded as a technology without significant use, TV structures have been implemented in thermal manipulation fluidics, micromixers and micropumps, benefitting the advancement of urgently demanding technology in various areas, such as in biomedical diagnostics through wearable electronics and medical instruments, lab on a chip, chemosensors and in application toward sustainable technology manifested in fuel cell devices. This article presents the first comprehensive review of TV structures in the literature, which has seen significant growth in the last two years. The review discusses typical TV structures, including single-stage TV (STV), multistage TV (MSTV), and TV derivatives (TVD), along with their characteristics and potential applications. The designs of these structures vary based on their intended applications, but all are constructed based on the fundamental principle of the TV structure. Finally, future trends and potential applications of TV structures are summarized and discussed. This topical review provides a valuable reference for students, early-career scientists, and practitioners in fluidic devices, particularly those interested in using TV structures as passive components.

Chicken embryo thermal manipulation alleviates postnatal heat stress-induced jejunal inflammation by inhibiting Transient Receptor Potential V4

Intestinal inflammation induced by heat stress is an important factor restricting the healthy growth of broilers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of chicken embryo thermal manipulation (39.5 ℃ and 65 % RH for 3 h daily during 16–18 th embryonic age) on intestinal inflammation in broilers under postnatal heat stress and to investigate whether transient receptor potential V4 (TRPV4) plays a role in this process. Our results suggest that broilers with embryo thermal manipulation experience could delay the rising of rectal temperature during postnatal heat stress (P < 0.05), and had better production performance (P < 0.05), intestinal morphological parameters (P < 0.05) and higher expression of tight junction related genes (P < 0.05). The increased serum lipopolysaccharide (LPS) content, activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway and the increased expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in jejunum during postnatal heat stress were alleviated by embryo thermal manipulation (P < 0.05). Postnatal heat stress induced an increase in mRNA and protein expression of TRPV4 in jejunum (P < 0.05), but had no effect on broilers which experienced embryo thermal manipulation (P > 0.05). Inhibition of TRPV4 reduced LPS-induced Ca2+ influx and restrained the activation of NF-κB signaling pathway and the expression of downstream pro-inflammatory cytokines (P < 0.05). The expression of DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) in the jejunum of broilers exposed to postnatal heat stress was increased by embryo thermal manipulation (P < 0.05). The DNA methylation level of TRPV4 promoter region was detected, and the results showed that embryo thermal manipulation increased the DNA methylation level of TRPV4 promoter region (P < 0.05). In conclusion, Chicken embryo thermal manipulation can alleviate jejunal inflammation in broilers under postnatal heat stress. This may be due to the decreased circulating LPS or the increased DNA methylation level in the promoter region of TRPV4, which inhibits TRPV4 expression, thereby reducing Ca2+ influx, and finally alleviating inflammation by affecting NF-κB signaling pathway. The work is an attempt to understand the mechanism involved in alleviation of adverse effects of heat stress during postnatal life through prenatal thermal manipulation and to reveal the important role of epigenetics.

Thermal Manipulation During Incubation: Effects on Embryo Development, Production Performance, Meat Quality, and Thermal Tolerance of Broiler Chickens

Thermal manipulations during the embryonic period have positive effects on thermotolerance and the productive performance of broilers subjected to acute heat stress. This study aimed to investigate the potential effects of Thermal manipulation during incubation (TMI) on productive performances and thermotolerance of broiler chickens growing in tropical climates. A total of 900 Cobb 500 broiler chicken eggs from a 35-week-old breeder flock were incubated in standard incubation conditions (37.8°C, 60% relative humidity) until day 7, when they were divided into 3 groups (300 eggs per group). The control group (C) was incubated at standard incubation conditions while T6 and T12 groups were subjected to, respectively, 6 hours/day and 12 hours/day of TMI (T° = 39.5°C, relative humidity = 65%, Embryonic day = 7-16). The relative embryo and albumen weight were determined from 10 to 18 days of incubation. The hatching event was checked between 450 and 504 hours of incubation, and egg hatchability, chick quality, and cloacal temperature were also determined. One hundred and twenty-five chicks from each incubation group were transferred to the farm and raised for 6 weeks. During this period, their post-hatch performances were determined. At week 6, blood samples were collected to measure T3, T4, and corticosterone hormone levels. Then, the 6-week-old broilers were slaughtered to determine meat yield and quality. Results showed that the chick’s rectal temperature was significantly reduced in T6 and T12 groups compared to the C group, while hatchability and one-day-old chick weight were not affected. Final body weight and feed conversion ratio were significantly improved in the T12 group, compared to other groups. Thermal manipulation during incubation for 6 and 12 hours significantly reduced mortality rate and pectoralis major muscle drip loss while it increased muscle pH at 24 hours post-mortem (pH24). Corticosterone, T3, and T4 plasma hormone levels at week 6 were also significantly reduced by TMI. Therefore, exposing hatching eggs to 39.5°C and 65% of relative humidity from days 7 to 16 of incubation for 12 hours/day is recommended for the poultry industry in tropical climates. Keywords: Chronic heat stress, Fast-growing broilers, Hatching and post-hatch performances, Thermal manipulation, Thermotolerance, Meat quality

Heat Transfer in Nanostructured Materials

Thermal manipulation has garnered considerable attention for its potential applications in diverse areas, including microelectronics, thermal logic devices, and thermoelectrics [...].

FRoMEPP: Digital forensic readiness framework for material extrusion based 3D printing process

Additive manufacturing (a.k.a., 3D printing) materializes an object by stacking thin layers of material from ground zero. It is increasingly utilized in industry to print critical components of automobiles, airplanes, etc. Failure of a 3D printed part (such as a turbine blade) during operation may incur immense damage to the system and the surroundings, incentivizing cyberattacks on the printed object. A forensically ready printing setup facilitates a post incident investigation. Currently, no forensic readiness model exists for an additive manufacturing (AM) process in the literature, whereas conventional cyber-domain specific models do not consider AM processes and may be ineffective in investigating 3D printed parts in a crime scene. This paper presents a forensic readiness framework, FRoMEPP for the material extrusion-based 3D printing process to acquire and preserve forensic data after identifying important information sources in the printing process chain. FRoMEPP framework provides practical technical guidance to the organizations striving for a forensically ready printing environment. It also benefits the regulatory bodies in formalizing compliance criteria for critical 3D printing setups. We implement FRoMEPP framework on a typical material-extrusion printer, Ultimaker-3, and evaluate it through a case study by implementing three sabotage attacks involving thermal profile manipulation, internal voids, and printing timing integrity compromise. The evaluation results show that FRoMEPP can effectively investigate and present traces of the attacks against 3D printed parts.

Gate-tunable negative refraction of mid-infrared polaritons.

Negative refraction provides a platform to manipulate mid-infrared and terahertz radiation for molecular sensing and thermal emission applications. However, its implementation based on metamaterials and plasmonic media presents challenges with optical losses, limited spatial confinement, and lack of active tunability in this spectral range. We demonstrate gate-tunable negative refraction at mid-infrared frequencies using hybrid topological polaritons in van der Waals heterostructures. Specifically, we visualize wide-angle negatively refracted polaritons in α-MoO3 films partially decorated with graphene, undergoing reversible planar nanoscale focusing. Our atomically thick heterostructures weaken scattering losses at the interface while enabling an actively tunable transition of normal to negative refraction through electrical gating. We propose polaritonic negative refraction as a promising platform for infrared applications such as electrically tunable super-resolution imaging, nanoscale thermal manipulation, enhanced molecular sensing, and on-chip optical circuitry.

Embryonic thermal manipulation leads growth inhibition and reduced hepatic insulin-like growth factor1 expression due to promoter DNA hypermethylation in broilers

When broilers cannot adapt to a high-temperature environment through self-regulation, it will cause heat stress, resulting in a large number of deaths and substantial economic losses. Studies have shown that thermal manipulation (TM) during the embryonic stage can improve broilers' ability to resist heat stress later. However, different TM strategies produce different results on broilers' growth. In this study, yellow-feathered broiler eggs were selected and randomly divided into 2 groups between E10 and E18, which the control group was incubated at 37.8°C with 56% humidity, and the TM group was subjected to 39°C with 65% humidity. After hatching, all broilers were reared normally until slaughtered at 12 d of age (D12). During D1 to D12, body weight, feed intake, and body temperature were recorded. The results showed that TM significantly decreased (P < 0.05) the final body weight, weight gain, and average daily feed intake of broilers. Meanwhile, the serum levels of Triiodothyronine (T3) and free T3 were significantly decreased in the TM group (P < 0.05). The expressions of hepatic growth regulation-associated genes, growth hormone receptor (GHR), insulin-like growth factor1, and 2 (IGF1 and IGF2) were significantly down-regulated in the TM group (P < 0.05). In addition, TM altered hepatic DNA methylation, resulting in a significant increase (P < 0.05) in the methylation of the IGF1 and GHR promoter regions. The above results indicated that TM during the embryonic stage decreased the serum thyroid hormone level and increased the methylation level of the IGF1 and GHR promoter regions to down-regulate the expression of growth-related genes, resulting in early growth inhibition of broilers.

Thermodynamic Processes of Perovskite Photovoltaic Devices: Mechanisms, Simulation, and Manipulation

AbstractPerovskite‐based single‐junction and tandem solar cells have recently attracted considerable attention due to their remarkable advantages in power conversion efficiency (PCE) and fabrication cost; however, their commercialization remains challenging. One crucial limiting factor is the incompetent thermal management, which is inclined to degrade the PCE and stability of the device. Here, a rigorous opto–electro–thermal (OET) simulation is performed to disclose the internal energy conversion and heat mechanisms within devices. Taking a low‐bandgap PSC as an example, the microscopic energy conversion processes concerning the contributions from thermalization, Joule, Peltier, and bulk/interface recombination heats are quantitatively identified. Then various thermal manipulation strategies are proposed, including external (cooling effect) and internal (transport layer materials, photoluminescence colorants, and tandem strategy) methods with the purposes of reducing the heat generation and device temperature. Through the joint OET optimization, the predicted temperature of the considered single‐junction (tandem) PSC is reduced to 44.3 °C (33.5 °C) with the possible PCE up to 22.35% (29.08%). Based on the simulation, a tandem PSC (under two‐terminal configuration) is fabricated and a PCE of 25.03% is realized. This study offers an effective approach for energy analysis and manipulation to realize higher‐performance PSCs with lower operation temperatures.

Bioactive cell niche mediating uniform thermal stimulus for BMSC neural differentiation through TRPV1 channel activation.

As one of the physical stimulus tools to target neuromodulation-related biological entities, mild thermal stimulus has attracted increasing attention in unraveling neural differentiation processing. However, thermal stimulus for neural behavior regulation has been relatively unexplored due to the challenge in finding a good method of exerting thermal stimulus. Considering the distance-dependent temperature preservation efficiency and the native importance of a bioactive matrix, we herein put forward the design of a photothermal hydrogel by immobilizing photothermal dopamine (DA) in hyaluronic acid (HA) chains. Benefitting from the minuscule disaccharide repeat unit size (≈1 nm) of HA used for the DA grafting, and the additional adhesion capacity of the DA for recruiting cells, a uniformly close distance from heating source to cells is realized. Therefore, we successfully established a near-infrared light initiated photothermal stimulus platform, with full bioactivity and high thermal manipulation efficiency. After extensive characterization, we proved that the thermal activation, from matrix to cells, triggered TRPV1 ion channel opening and Ca2+ influx, which finally promoted neural differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). This work broadens the possibilities of polymeric photothermal materials, and is of great significance for remotely manipulating neural and other cellular machinery for stem cell therapeutics in tissue engineering.