Radiative cooling for passive thermal management towards sustainable carbon neutrality

Jun Liang; Jiawei Wu; Jun Guo; Huagen Li; Xianjun Zhou; Sheng Liang; Cheng-Wei Qiu; Guangming Tao

doi:10.1093/nsr/nwac208

Radiative cooling for passive thermal management towards sustainable carbon neutrality

Natl Sci Rev. 2022 Sep 30;10(1):nwac208. doi: 10.1093/nsr/nwac208. eCollection 2023 Jan.

Authors

Jun Liang¹, Jiawei Wu¹, Jun Guo^{2

3}, Huagen Li², Xianjun Zhou¹, Sheng Liang⁴, Cheng-Wei Qiu², Guangming Tao^{1

5}

Affiliations

¹ Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics and Optics Valley Laboratory, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China.
² Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117583, Singapore.
³ MOE Key Laboratory of Thermo-Fluid Science and Engineering, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Education Ministry on Luminescence and Optical Information Technology, National Physical Experiment Teaching Demonstration Center, Department of Physics, School of Physical Science and Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China.
⁵ State Key Laboratory of Material Processing and Die & Mould Technology, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China.

Abstract

Photonic structures at the wavelength scale offer innovative energy solutions for a wide range of applications, from high-efficiency photovoltaics to passive cooling, thus reshaping the global energy landscape. Radiative cooling based on structural and material design presents new opportunities for sustainable carbon neutrality as a zero-energy, ecologically friendly cooling strategy. In this review, in addition to introducing the fundamentals of the basic theory of radiative cooling technology, typical radiative cooling materials alongside their cooling effects over recent years are summarized and the current research status of radiative cooling materials is outlined and discussed. Furthermore, technical challenges and potential advancements for radiative cooling are forecast with an outline of future application scenarios and development trends. In the future, radiative cooling is expected to make a significant contribution to global energy saving and emission reduction.

Keywords: carbon neutrality; energy saving and emission reduction; photonic structures; radiative cooling.

Publication types

Review