Bioinspired photonic materials for advanced thermal management

Maintenance of temperature within a suitable range is essential for human activity, and thermal management is the science dedicated to this goal. From an optical point of view, thermal management requires engineered photonic materials with versatile responses over the broad solar and thermal spectra to perform complex functions, including cooling, heating, energy conversion, camouflage, and dynamic control of heat flow, many of which are highly desirable in renewable energy research. The sophisticated spectral requirements of these applications pose fundamental challenges in materials design. While advances in computational methods have led to many technological breakthroughs, a parallel route—drawing inspiration from biological systems—has also yielded impressive progress. Guided by the unmatched power of natural selection, biomimetic approaches facilitate the development of high-performance bioinspired materials with intricate hierarchical architectures. In this review, we present the concepts and recent advances in biomimetic photonic materials and strategies for thermal management, along with our perspectives on the current challenges and future directions. The engineering principles evolved in nature to meet complex spectral demands are also broadly applicable to other applications involving ultra-broadband and band-selective optical responses.