Inverse Design of Multisource Thermal Metamaterials for Multifunctional Thermal Camouflage

Abstract

ABSTRACT Controlling thermal transport in systems with multiple heat sources represents a fundamental and unresolved challenge in thermal science, where strong inter‐source coupling and complex source geometries readily destroy the spatial coherence required for reliable thermal camouflage. Here, we establish an inverse design framework for multisource thermal metamaterials (MSTM) that achieves multifunctional thermal camouflage. Unlike conventional passive schemes, our strategy transforms a desired temperature field into an equivalent distribution of anisotropic thermal conductivities, establishing a direct mapping between source characteristics and medium responses. This inverse formulation allows thermal fields to be sculpted by adjusting the number, geometry, and temperature of multiple heat sources, achieving precise field reconstruction and robust camouflage even under strong inter‐source interactions. Furthermore, guided by first‐principles analysis, we designed sixteen distinct MSTM configurations through anisotropic conductivity engineering and fabricated corresponding physical samples via metal 3D printing. Finite element simulations and infrared thermography measurements reveal precise realization of the target thermal camouflage functionalities for heat sources of arbitrary shape and power, demonstrating the universality and scalability of the proposed MSTM framework. This work establishes a general paradigm for coupled multisource thermal‐field manipulation and substantially expands the capabilities of thermal metamaterials for thermal management and complex active thermal systems.