  Topological materials provide a platform that utilizes the geometric
characteristics of structured materials to control the flow of waves, enabling
unidirectional and protected transmission that is immune to defects or
impurities. The topologically designed photonic materials can carry quantum
states and electromagnetic energy, benefiting nanolasers or quantum photonic
systems. This article reviews recent advances in the topological applications
of photonic materials for radiative heat transfer, especially in the near
field. When the separation distance between media is considerably smaller than
the thermal wavelength, the heat transfer exhibits super-Planckian behavior
that surpasses Planck's blackbody predictions. Near-field thermal radiation in
subwavelength systems supporting surface modes has various applications,
including nanoscale thermal management and energy conversion. Photonic
materials and structures that support topological surface states show immense
potential for enhancing or suppressing near-field thermal radiation. We present
various topological effects, such as periodic and quasi-periodic nanoparticle
arrays, Dirac and Weyl semimetal-based materials, structures with broken global
symmetries, and other topological insulators, on near-field heat transfer.
Also, the possibility of realizing near-field thermal radiation in such
topological materials for alternative thermal management and heat flux guiding
in nano-scale systems is discussed based on the existing technology.
