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Eco-Friendly Nanoarchitectonics for Durable, Self-Cleaning, and Efficient Subambient Radiative Cooling Coatings
Yongxian Sun1,2, Junhui He1
1Functional Nanomaterials Laboratory, Center for Micro/Nanomaterials and Technology, and Key Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
This study presents an eco-friendly radiative cooling coating that achieves significant cooling below ambient temperature. The developed coating offers excellent performance, durability, and self-cleaning properties, aiding in global warming mitigation.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC) offers a sustainable solution for mitigating global warming by enabling heat dissipation into space.
- Current PDRC coatings face challenges in achieving high optical performance, environmental adaptability, and multifunctionality for practical applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an eco-friendly, high-performance PDRC coating with enhanced optical properties, environmental adaptability, and durability.
- To investigate the synergistic effects of spectral complementarity and phase change material (PCM) incorporation for improved cooling efficiency.
Main Methods:
- An eco-friendly spray-coating technique was used to fabricate a Si3N4/Al2O3&SiO2-PCM PDRC coating (SASPRC).
- The coating's optical properties (solar reflectance and infrared emissivity) and cooling performance were evaluated under direct sunlight.
- Mechanical robustness, chemical durability, and self-cleaning capabilities were assessed.
Main Results:
- The SASPRC coating achieved a high solar reflectance of 97.3% and infrared emissivity of 97.7%.
- An average cooling effect of 8.2 °C below ambient temperature was recorded.
- The incorporation of PCM enhanced daily cooling power to 90.03 W m⁻², with demonstrated self-cleaning (water contact angle of 165.3°), mechanical robustness, and chemical durability.
Conclusions:
- The developed SASPRC coating presents a viable strategy for high-performance radiative cooling, addressing key challenges in environmental adaptability and durability.
- This innovative design contributes to sustainable solutions for global warming mitigation through efficient passive cooling technology.
