Click Metamaterials: Fast Acquisition of Thermal Conductivity and Functionality Diversities

Material science is an important foundation of modern society development, covering significant areas like chemosynthesis and metamaterials. Click chemistry provides a simple and efficient paradigm for achieving molecular diversity by incorporating modified building blocks into compounds. In contrast, most metamaterial designs are still case by case due to lacking a fundamental mechanism for achieving reconfigurable thermal conductivities, largely hindering design flexibility and functional diversity. Here, we propose a universal concept of click metamaterials for fast realizing various thermal conductivities and functionalities. Tunable hollow-filled unit cells are constructed to mimic the modified building blocks in click chemistry. Different hollow-filled arrays can generate convertible thermal conductivities from isotropy to anisotropy, allowing click metamaterials to exhibit adaptive thermal functionalities. The straightforward structures enable full-parameter regulation and simplify engineering preparation, making click metamaterials a promising candidate for practical use in other diffusion and wave systems.