Metaceramic enables ultrahigh-temperature record rectification and programmable 3D thermal control

Yishu Su

doi:10.1126/sciadv.aef4765

Metaceramic enables ultrahigh-temperature record rectification and programmable 3D thermal control

2026-06-17

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DOI：10.1126/sciadv.aef4765

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Thermal rectification enables asymmetric heat flow and offers transformative potential for thermal management under extreme environments, yet its practical development has been constrained by a fundamental trade-off between high-temperature stability and nonlinear thermal response. Conventional rectifiers face intrinsic limitations, with operating temperatures below 900 kelvin and rectification ratios under 3.5. Here, we present a metaceramic, a monolithic metamaterial ceramic, architected with multiscale graded porosity that synergistically integrates four nonlinear heat transfer mechanisms: ion-tailored conduction, cavity-modulated radiation, chaotic advection–enhanced convection, and spontaneous convective dissipation. This metaceramic achieves a record thermal rectification ratio of 8.5 at 2473 kelvin, surpassing previous benchmarks by over 140%. In addition, the design’s continuum-like, functionally partitionable nature enables its extension into a triaxial ultrahigh-temperature rectifier, which provides programmable, volumetric thermal flow control along three independent axes, effectively elevating rectification from a scalar to a tensor-like property. By decoupling and recombining multimodal nonlinearities within a single material, we overcome the classical stability-nonlinearity conflict. Our work establishes a metamaterials platform for breaking thermal reciprocity under extreme conditions, with implications for heat management in hypersonic systems, spacecraft, and energy technologies.

Metaceramic enables ultrahigh-temperature record rectification and programmable 3D thermal control

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