Abstract
Passive radiative cooling presents a promising approach to mitigate global warming and reduce energy consumption. Existing coolers, however, face challenges in practical prolonged adoption due to their unappealing design, susceptibility to environmental pollutants, as well as degradation of polymers by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation from sunlight. This study introduces a multifunctional daytime radiative cooler (MDRC) with a dual-layered structure, combining practical functionality with aesthetic value. Its base layer consists of an Ag–TiO2–Ag thin film stack, imparting vibrant cyan, magenta, and yellow colors, even maintaining visually appealing from various incident angles, up to 75°, to ensure consistent color display. The top layer, comprising S–SiO2 nanospheres with UV resistance rather than polymers, not only forms a superhydrophobic surface with a contact angle of 155.502°, enhancing the self-cleaning capability of the MDRC against contamination and dust, but also renders the MDRC with extraordinary anti-aging capacity. Outdoor experiments has shown that the MDRC maintains operation at temperatures above ambient under direct solar irradiation, achieving a substantial temperature reduction of 6.82 °C compared to the same colored commercial coating. After three months of outdoor exposure, the MDRC demonstrated minimal degradation in performance, with decreases of only 0.29 °C during the day and 0.12 °C at night, underscoring its superior UV-resistant aging properties. This MDRC represents a robust solution for diverse durable outdoor raidative cooling applications, advancing toward real-world utilization.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.