Materials for radiative cooling to low temperature

Abstract The clear sky can act as a heat sink. Cooling to low temperatures is possible with materials which are strongly emitting in the 8–13 μm band and non-absorbing elsewhere. In this paper we discuss the resource for radiative cooling and its implementation with thin solid films (SiO 0.6 N 0.2 coatings on Al) and with slabs of certain gases (C 2 H 4 , C 2 H 4 O and NH 3 backed by Al). Results are given on spectrophotometric infrared reflectance and transmittance, computed parameters which govern the predicted cooling performance, and some preliminary field tests.

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