Links: SmartPlanet.com Article / American Physical Society Article /

Up till now researchers had always assumed that hard vacuum similar to that found inside a Thermos bottle provided the best insulation, but scientists at Stanford University recently tested layered photonic crystals within a vacuum. They were stunned to learn that it was twice as effective as a simple vacuum.

A new material made of photonic crystals may be more insulating than a vacuum that completely lacks atoms.

Until now, vacuums were the go-to resource for reducing temperature transfer. That's why a typical thermos has one - to keep beverages hot or cold. (Same goes for newer windows in your home.) Heat can be transferred from one material to another in three main ways: convection, conduction, and radiation. For two of the three, a vacuum reduces their effectiveness.

But in a recent study, scientists at Stanford University used a stack of photonic crystals layered within a vacuum to create a material with a thermal conductance of half that of a simple vacuum.

(Source: SmartPlanet.com, American Physical Society)