The real and imaginary parts of the dielectric function of VO₂ thin films, deposited on r-plane sapphire via pulsed laser deposition, are measured by means of visible-infrared ellipsometry for wavelengths ranging from 0.4 to 15 μm and temperatures within its phase transition. For both the insulator-to-metal (heating) and metal-to-insulator (cooling) transitions, it is shown that the two ellipsometric signals exhibit three temperature-driven behaviors, which are well described by appropriate combinations of the Tauc-Lorentz, Gaussian, and Drude oscillator models. By fitting Bruggeman's effective medium model for the dielectric function to the corresponding measured experimental values, using the volumetric fraction of the VO₂ metallic domains as a fitting parameter for different temperatures within the VO₂ phase transition, we have found that this model is suitable for describing the dielectric function in visible and near-infrared wavelengths (∼0.4 to ∼3.0 μm), but it generally fails for longer infrared ones. Furthermore, the hysteresis loop of the VO₂ emissivity averaged over a relevant interval of wavelengths is determined and shown to vary from ∼0.49, in the insulator phase, to ∼0.16, in the metallic one. These values, based on the VO₂ dielectric function, are consistent with previous measurements reported in the literature, and therefore, our measured data are expected to be useful for describing the behavior of VO₂ films involved in optical and radiative applications.

Hysteresis loops in the emissivity of VO₂ thin films grown on sapphire and silicon substrates by a pulsed laser deposition process are experimentally measured through the thermal-wave resonant cavity technique. Remarkable variations of about 43% are observed in the emissivity of both VO₂ films, within their insulator-to-metal and metal-to-insulator transitions. It is shown that: i) The principal hysteresis width (maximum slope) in the VO₂ emissivity of the VO₂ + silicon sample is around 3 times higher (lower) than the corresponding one of the VO₂ + sapphire sample. VO₂ synthesized on silicon thus exhibits a wider principal hysteresis loop with slower MIT than VO₂ on sapphire, as a result of the significant differences on the VO₂ film microstructures induced by the silicon or sapphire substrates. ii) The hysteresis width along with the rate of change of the VO₂ emissivity in a VO₂ + substrate sample can be tuned with its secondary hysteresis loop. iii) VO₂ samples can be used to build a radiative thermal diode able to operate with a rectification factor as high as 87%, when the temperature difference of its two terminals is around 17 °C. This record-breaking rectification constitutes the highest one reported in literature, for a relatively small temperature change of diode terminals.

Electrical percolation in two-phase materials involves a very singular behavior, manifested as a huge change in the electrical conductivity, for a given volume or mass fraction of the phase with higher conductivity. In contrast, in the case of heat transfer, in two-phase composite systems, analogous percolative phenomena are far more elusive and have been rather difficult to observe in various physical systems. In this Perspective, we present a critical analysis of experimental results and the application of theoretical models aimed to study the effects of percolation phenomena on the thermal and electrical properties of two-phase materials. Our attention will be focused on composites made of high conductivity particles in a polymeric matrix. The effect of several factors, such as the geometrical and physical characteristics of fillers and their connectivity with the matrix, the proportion between the conductivity of filler and the matrix, as well as the crucial role of interfacial thermal resistance, is considered. In particular, the differences between the thermal and electrical thresholds and the physical and geometrical conditions that should be fulfilled to observe thermal percolation are discussed. Future trends, to be followed in the development of new materials, in order to enhance the thermal conductivity as well as in making the thermal percolative effects notable, based on including additional phases and 2D fillers, are also discussed.

Hysteresis loops exhibited by the thermal properties of undoped and 0.8 at.% W-doped nanocrystalline powders of VO₂ synthesized by means of the solution combustion method and compacted in pellets, are experimentally measured by photothermal radiometry. It is shown that: (i) the W doping reduces both the hysteresis loops of VO₂ and its transition temperature up to 15 °C. (ii) The thermal diffusivity decreases (increases) until (after) the metallic domains become dominant in the VO₂ insulating matrix, such that its variation across the metal-insulation transition is enhanced by 23.5% with W-0.8 at.% doping. By contrast, thermal conductivity (thermal effusivity) increases up to 45% (40%) as the metallic phase emerges in the VO₂ structure due to the insulator-to-metal transition, and it enhances up to 11% (25%) in the insulator state when the local rutile phase is induced by the tungsten doping. (iii) The characteristic peak of the VO₂ specific heat capacity is observed in both heating and cooling processes, such that the phase transition of the 0.8 at.% W-doped sample requires about 24% less thermal energy than the undoped one. (iv) The impact of the W doping on the four above-mentioned thermal properties of VO₂ mainly shows up in its insulator phase, as a result of the distortion of the local lattice induced by the electrons of tungsten. W doping at 0.8 at.% thus enhances the VO₂ capability to transport heat but diminishes its thermal switching efficiency.

Accurate color property measurements are critical for advancing artificial vision in real-time industrial applications. RGB imaging remains highly applicable and widely used due to its practicality, accessibility, and high spatial resolution. However, significant uncertainties in extracting chromatic information highlight the need to define when conventional digital images can reliably provide accurate color data. This work simultaneously compares six chromatic properties across 700 Pantone^® TCX fabric samples, using optical data acquired simultaneously from both hyperspectral (HSI) and digital (RGB) cameras. The results indicate that the accurate interpretation of optical information from RGB (sRGB and REC2020) images is significantly influenced by lightness ($L^{*}$) values. Samples with bright and unsaturated colors ($L^{*}>$ 50) reach ratio-to-performance-deviation (RPD) values above 2.5 for four properties ($L^{*}, a^{*}, b^{*}$ $h_{ab}$), indicating a good correlation between HSI and RGB information. Absolute color difference comparisons (${∆E}_a$) between HSI and RGB images yield values exceeding 5.5 units for red-yellow-green samples and up to 9.0 units for blue and purple tones. In contrast, relative color differences (${∆E}_r$) comparisons show a significant decrease, with values falling below 3.0 for all lightness values, indicating the practical equivalence of both methodologies according to the Two One-Sided Test (TOST) statistical analysis. These results confirm that RGB imagery achieves reliable color consistency when evaluated against a practical reference.

Modulated heat transfer in air subject to pressures from 760 Torr to 10^-4 Torr is experimentally studied by means of a thermal-wave resonant cavity placed in a vacuum chamber. This is done through the analysis of the amplitude and phase delay of the photothermal signal as a function of the cavity length and pressure through of the Knudsen’s number. The viscous, transitional, and free molecular regimes of heat transport are observed for pressures P>1.5 Torr, 25 mTorr<P<1.5 Torr, and P<25 mTorr; respectively. It is shown that the fingerprint of each regime is determined by the concavity of the amplitude decay in a length scan, which is concave upward for the viscous regime and concave downward in the free molecular one. Furthermore, the increase of the radiative contribution on both the amplitude and phase is also observed as the pressure reduces. The obtained results show that the proposed methodology can be used to study the molecular dynamics in gases supporting diffusive and ballistic heat transport.