Metamaterial systems capable of exhibiting changes in thermal conductivities in response to an external control or input, as well as methods relating thereto. The metamaterial systems include first and second plates, and a metamaterial core between and thermally coupled to the first and second plates. The metamaterial core comprises a plurality of elements coupled to and contacting each other, with each of the elements being a pseudo-tetrahedron having surfaces that define surface-to-surface contacts with at least one other of the elements. A force is applied to the metamaterial core that increases contact pressures between the elements at the surface-to-surface contacts thereof and thereby increases thermal contact conductivities at the surface-to-surface contacts and increases a thermal conductivity of the metamaterial core.

A heat conduction device includes a heat source portion, a temperature control surface, and heat transfer portions. The heat source portion is configured to generate at least hot heat or cold heat. The temperature control surface is sectioned into a plurality of temperature control sections, and at least some of the plurality of temperature control sections are disposed away from the heat source portion. The plurality of heat transfer portions connect the heat source portion and the plurality of the temperature control sections to transfer heat between the heat source portion and the plurality of temperature control sections. The plurality of temperature control sections are separated from each other based on a distance from the heat source portion.

A multi-mode heat transfer system includes an emitter device with an inner core surrounded by an outer core having an outer surface and an emission surface disposed on the outer surface. The emission surface includes a thermal metamaterial configured to direct heat from the inner core in at least two desired directions to an object other than the emitter device. The object can include a thermal receiver devices, for example two receiver devices and the emission surface can direct heat to two different receiver devices spaced apart from the emitter device.

Method and apparatus for thermally protecting a product, when storing and/or shipping a product, to control temperatures products are exposed to. Embodiments increase the amount of time portions of the product experience a desired temperature range and/or reduce the amount of time portions of the product experience temperatures outside a desired temperature range and/or experience an undesirable temperature range. Embodiments incorporate thermally conductive materials, referred to as conductive equalizers, positioned around and/or near the product positioned inside a packaging container, where the conductive materials conduct heat from locations in the package interior to other locations in the package interior. The conductive equalizers conductively transfer heat from hotter portions of the interior of the container to cooler portions of the interior of the container and/or from portions of the interior desired to be cooled to the cold bank, resulting in a more uniform temperature distribution around the product.

A thermoelectric power generation system 20 includes a heat exchanger 1 having double tubes which are an inner tube 1a and an outer tube 1b, and a thermoelectric power generation module 2 mounted between the inner tube and the outer tube. The thermoelectric power generation module generates thermoelectric power using a temperature difference between a medium inside the inner tube and a medium outside the outer tube, and a highly thermal conductive elastic sheet 3a, 3b is mounted between the thermoelectric power generation module and the inner tube and/or the outer tube in close contact therewith.

Embodiments of the subject invention relate to a method and apparatus for thermally protecting a product, such as when storing and/or shipping a product, so as to control the temperatures the products are exposed to. Embodiments can increased the amount of time the product and/or portions of the product experience a desired temperature range and/or reduce the amount of time the product and/or portions of the product experience temperatures outside of the desired temperature range and/or experience an undesirable temperature range. Embodiments can incorporate thermally conductive materials, such as aluminum sheets, positioned around and/or near the product positioned inside a packaging container, such that the conductive materials conduct heat from one or more locations in the interior of the package to one or more other locations in the interior of the package. These thermally conductive materials can be referred to as conductive equalizers. The conductive equalizers can conductively transfer heat from the hotter portions of the interior of the container to cooler portions of the interior of the container and/or from portions of the interior desired to be cooled to the cold bank. Conducting heat from hotter portions to cooler portions, or from portions to be cooled to the cold bank can result in a more uniform temperature distribution around the product.

A radiative cooling device including: a vacuum heat insulating container that has an opening portion, that is configured to house an object to be cooled therein and thermally vacuum insulates the object from an exterior thereof; a far-infrared radiator that is arranged between the object and the opening portion in the vacuum heat insulating container, that is thermally vacuum insulated from the exterior of the vacuum heat insulating container, that thermally contacts the object, and that radiates far-infrared rays in a wavelength range of from 8 m to 13 m; and a far-infrared transmitting window member that closes the opening portion of the vacuum heat insulating container and that transmits the far-infrared rays radiated from the far-infrared radiator.

Apparatus for controlling the thermal uniformity of a substrate can control the thermal uniformity of the substrate to be more uniform or to be non-uniform. In some embodiments, an apparatus for controlling the thermal uniformity of a substrate includes: a substrate support having a support surface to support a substrate thereon. A flow path is disposed within the substrate support to flow a heat transfer fluid beneath the support surface. The flow path comprises a first portion and a second portion, each portion having a substantially equivalent axial length. The first portion is spaced about 2 mm to about 10 mm from the second portion. The first portion provides a flow of heat transfer fluid in a direction opposite a flow of heat transfer fluid of the second portion.

Provided is a radiative cooling device that appears white as viewed from a radiative surface side and has increased durability. The radiative cooling device includes an infrared radiative layer A having a radiative surface H for radiating infrared light, a light reflective layer B on a side of the infrared radiative layer A, which is opposite to the radiative surface H, and a protective layer D between the infrared radiative layer A and the light reflective layer B. The infrared radiative layer A is a resin material layer J having a thickness adjusted so that the resin material layer J emits heat radiation energy greater than absorbed solar energy in a wavelength range from 8 ?m to 14 ?m. The light reflective layer B includes silver or a silver alloy.

A thermal transistor is provided. The thermal transistor includes a metallic thermal conductor, a non-metallic thermal conductor, and a thermal resistance adjusting unit. The metallic thermal conductor and the non-metallic thermal conductor are contact with each other to form a thermal interface. The thermal resistance adjusting unit is configured to generate an electric field at the thermal interface.