Wang Ji-Xiang, Zhong Mingliang, Li Jia-Xin, Wang Shaolong, Bian Jiang, Mao Yufeng, Wang Hongmei
Institute of Optics and Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, China.
Hebei Key Laboratory of Man-machine Environmental Thermal Control Technology and Equipment, Hebei Vocational University of Technology and Engineering, Hebei, China.
Nat Commun. 2025 Jul 28;16(1):6931. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-62120-2.
Heat barrier, the unrestricted increase in airplane or rocket speeds caused by aerodynamic heating, which-without adequate provisions for cooling the exposed surfaces-can lead to the loss of a hypersonic vehicle's reusability, maneuverability, and cost-effectiveness. To date, indirect thermal protection methods, such as regenerative cooling, film cooling, and transpiration cooling, have proven to be complex and inefficient. Here, we propose a direct liquid cooling system to mitigate the heat barrier, utilizing a blunt-sharp structured thermal armor (STA)-a recently proposed material [36] to elevate the Leidenfrost point. The fiber-metal nano-/micro-STA withstands rigorous simulated hypersonic aerodynamic heating using butane and acetylene flames, ensuring effective temperature management in scenarios where flame temperatures reach up to 3000 °C-far exceeding the melting point of the STA substrate. Systematic cycling and durability tests further confirm the STA's exceptional tolerance and robustness under extreme conditions. This work offers an efficient thermal protection method for hypersonic vehicles.
热障是指由空气动力加热导致的飞机或火箭速度不受限制地增加，若没有足够的措施来冷却暴露表面，可能会导致高超音速飞行器失去可重复使用性、机动性和成本效益。迄今为止，诸如再生冷却、薄膜冷却和发汗冷却等间接热防护方法已被证明既复杂又低效。在此，我们提出一种直接液体冷却系统来减轻热障，该系统利用钝-锐结构热装甲（STA）——一种最近提出的材料[36]来提高莱顿弗罗斯特温度点。纤维-金属纳米/微米STA能承受使用丁烷和乙炔火焰进行的严格模拟高超音速空气动力加热，确保在火焰温度高达3000°C（远超过STA基材熔点）的情况下实现有效的温度管理。系统的循环和耐久性测试进一步证实了STA在极端条件下具有出色的耐受性和坚固性。这项工作为高超音速飞行器提供了一种高效的热防护方法。
