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Thermoelectric device for active thermal concealment, deception and messaging

Yue Hou,Xiaosa Liang,Zhaoyu Li,Qianfeng Ding,Zheng Zhu,Xiaolong Sun,Chang Li,Wenjie Zhou,Wei Cao,Yuan Yu,Ziyu Wang

Published 2025 in Nature Communications

ABSTRACT

Thermal concealment is vital for minimizing the visibility of individuals and vehicles to contemporary infrared surveillance technologies. Traditional approaches, such as emissivity modulation, are effective only in scenarios where the ambient temperature is lower than that of the target and typically exhibit response times on the order of minutes. Other temperature regulation methods generally operate within a restricted temperature range. This work presents an active thermal concealment cloak based on thermoelectric devices, integrating functionalities of infrared camouflage, deception, and information display. By optimizing the circuit design and incorporating a low-reflectivity black porous Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate film, the cloak achieves a uniform temperature distribution, eliminating distinct cold or hot boundaries, and exhibits strong resistance to light interference. Enhanced by bottom-side heat dissipation, the device functions effectively across a wide temperature range from 5.77 °C to 109.16 °C and responds rapidly in just 2.03 seconds. Through the self-developed application, each panel pixel on the device can be independently temperature-controlled, allowing for pre-programmed alterations in the shape and color of the concealed target to enable infrared deception. Additionally, a kirigami structure is employed to enhance the device’s bendability, facilitating the implementation of curved camouflage and wearable IR information transmission. Achieving rapid thermal concealment across a wide temperature range is challenging. Here, the authors report a thermoelectric device-based thermal cloak that responds within 2.03 seconds over a temperature range from 5.77 °C to 109.16 °C.

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