Industry Related News: United States – September 2022:
Nankai University, located in China, has successfully developed a thermal management material that could significantly change things for scientists around the globe. The material in question could allow for devices to switch between heating/cooling automatically, as the material requires absolutely no energy. This material responds to heat/cold without additional input, curling to allow for maximum heat exposure and unfurling to block cold/protect the underlying device or surface. This was directly inspired by the Mimosa pudica plant, which responds similarly to heat/cold.
When initially developing this material, testing was of the utmost importance. The team of Nankai worked with thermal testing equipment to determine the right materials and structure it would take to create this thermal management material. Thermal testing, a process that allows users to switch between extremely high and low temperatures (from around -94 degrees to 392 degrees Fahrenheit, or -70 to 200 degrees Celsius), is important for a range of similar projects. In this case, the team was able to instantly see how their new material responded to these different temperatures, as thermal testing makes it possible to bring extreme conditions into the classroom.
The finished product is composed of polymer subunits, each made up of material designed to interact with changing temperatures. With some revisions and additional thermal testing, the team believes that this material could be utilized in real-world situations. The potential applications for this project are expansive, and the team is eager to see where things go from here.
Phys.org, “A Thermal Management Material That Responds To Heat Or Cold By Folding Or Unfolding Without Need For A Power Source“, Accessed 14 September 2022.
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Khoury Industries is a worldwide leader in temperature testing equipment for device characterization, thermal cycling equipment, and failure analysis. Khoury Industries designs and manufactures custom thermal chambers and microwave thermal testing fixtures used in a variety of industries including: military, space, automotive, medical, research, and communication fields. The Khoury Box and the patented ELI-1000 have quickly become industry favorites as thermal testing devices used to ensure the reliability of industrial and electronic products through prolonged exposure to extreme conditions.
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