Scalable and Flexible Multi-Layer Prismatic Photonic Metamaterial Film for Efficient Daytime Radiative Cooling.

ABSTRACT

To maintain a comfortable indoor living environment in low latitude or tropical regions, humans consume significant amounts of electrical energy in air conditioning, leading to substantial CO2 emissions. Passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC) allows objects to cool down during the daytime without any energy consumption by dissipating heat through the atmospheric transparency window (8-13 µm) to outer space, which has garnered significant attention. However, the practical applications of common PDRC materials are hindered by their poor optical selectivity and high-reflective silver backing. Additionally, the availability of artificial photon emitters with complex structures and excellent performance is also limited by their high cost. Herein, a novel multilayer prismatic photonic metamaterial film without any silver reflector, easily scalable and produced by a roll-to-roll method is demonstrated, which exhibits ≈96.4% sunlight reflectance (0.3-2.5 µm) and ≈97.2% emissivity in mid-infrared (IR) (8-13 µm). At an average solar intensity of ≈920 W m-2, it is on average 6.8 °C below ambient temperature during the day and theoretically yields a radiative cooling power of 88.9 W m-2. Furthermore, the film exhibits excellent hydrophobicity, superior flexibility, and robust mechanical strength, providing an attractive and viable pathway for practical applications addressing the pressing challenges of climate and energy issues.