A dynamic thermoregulatory material inspired by squid skin

Effective thermal management is critical for the operation of many modern technologies, such as electronic circuits, smart clothing, and building environment control systems. By leveraging the static infrared-reflecting design of the space blanket and drawing inspiration from the dynamic color-changing ability of squid skin, we have developed a composite material with tunable thermoregulatory properties. Our material demonstrates an on/off switching ratio of similar to 25 for the transmittance, regulates a heat flux of similar to 36 W/m(2) with an estimated mechanical power input of similar to 3 W/m(2), and features a dynamic environmental setpoint temperature window of similar to 8 degrees C. Moreover, the composite can manage one fourth of the metabolic heat flux expected for a sedentary individual and can also modulate localized changes in a wearer's body temperature by nearly 10-fold. Due to such functionality and associated figures of merit, our material may substantially reduce building energy consumption upon widespread deployment and adoption.