Robotic metamaterials that autonomously switch and route heat for intelligent thermal management.
As AI computing clusters and data centers continue to expand, thermal management is becoming increasingly important for both energy efficiency and system reliability. Conventional thermal-management systems generally rely on externally controlled cooling devices and electronic sensing and control. Prof. Ju’s project seeks to develop a different approach in which the material architecture itself can actively regulate heat flow. Ju’s project explores a different approach by embedding thermal regulation functions directly into the material architecture. The research team will develop robotic metamaterials capable of switching, directing, and rerouting heat through mechanically programmed responses, potentially enabling thermal regulation without relying entirely on conventional electronic sensing and control.
The project focuses on three interconnected research directions: compliant-mechanism-based thermal switches designed for high thermal rectification and low leakage; instability-amplified shape memory alloy (SMA) thermomechanical gates for rapid and reversible switching; and small arrays of robotic metamaterial units capable of demonstrating basic thermal logic and localized heat-flow routing. By integrating nonlinear structural mechanics with multiphysics actuation, the project aims to establish a mechanics-driven framework for physically intelligent thermal regulation, in which thermal functions are embedded directly into the architecture and mechanical behavior of materials.
Established by the NSFC in 2021, the Research Fund for International Scientists supports international researchers at different stages of their careers in conducting research in China. The program comprises three categories: the Research Fund for International Young Scientists, the Research Fund for International Excellent Young Scientists, and the Research Fund for International Senior Scientists. The latter is the highest-level category among the three.
Personal Introduction
Jaehyung Ju is an Associate Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University Global College and a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). He received his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University in 2005 and has more than 20 years of experience in engineering research and education. His research focuses on mechanical metamaterials, nonlinear compliant mechanisms, and multiphysics actuation. His research projects have received support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, the Shanghai municipal government, and industry contracts in automotive, aerospace, and biomedical fields. His work has been published in leading journals including Nature Communications, Advanced Materials, Advanced Functional Materials, and the Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids.
