Key Takeaways & Executive Findings
- •• Heat exchange mechanisms for enhancing cooling performance and environmental tolerance are elucidated. • Challenges in extreme environments, along with the corresponding anti-environmental radiative cooling materials and micro-nano structures, are reviewed. • Valuable insights into enhancing the next generation of radiative cooling for extreme environmental applications are discussed. • The review evaluates cooling effects and anti-environmental abilities of extreme radiative cooling devices, outlining key challenges and potential strategies for commercialization.
Abstract
Radiative cooling is a passive thermal management strategy that leverages the natural ability of materials to dissipate heat through infrared radiation. It has significant implications for energy efficiency, climate adaptation, and sustainable technology development, with applications in personal thermal management, building temperature regulation, and aerospace engineering. However, radiative cooling performance is susceptible to environmental aging and special environmental conditions, limiting its applicability in extreme environments. Herein, a critical review of extreme environmental radiative cooling is presented, focusing on enhancing environmental durability and cooling efficiency. This review first introduces the design principles of heat exchange channels, which are tailored based on the thermal flow equilibrium to optimize radiative cooling capacity in various extreme environments. Subsequently, recent advancements in radiative cooling materials and micro-nano structures that align with these principles are systematically discussed, with a focus on their implementation in terrestrial dwelling environments, terrestrial extreme environments, aeronautical environments, and space environments. Moreover, this review evaluates the cooling effects and anti-environmental abilities of extreme radiative cooling devices. Lastly, key challenges hindering the development of radiative cooling devices for extreme environmental applications are outlined, and potential strategies to overcome these limitations are proposed, aiming to prompt their future commercialization.
1. Introduction
Radiative cooling has the ability to harvest coldness from the cold sink of outer space through thermal radiation in a passive zero-energy process. Fundamentally, it operates by dissipating thermal energy from the surface directly in the form of middle infrared (MIR) light while reflecting solar irradiance (0.25–2.5 μm) to ensure that the cooling power generated by MIR emission exceeds the heating effect of absorbed solar energy [1]. Applications of radiative cooling span diverse fields, including building energy management, where it reduces air conditioning loads and lower energy consumption; high-temperature environments, where it facilitates the maintenance of equipment efficiency by mitigating overheating issues; and space technologies, where it plays a critical role in thermal regulation for satellites, space probes, and other extraterrestrial structures [2, 3]. With continuous advancements, radiative cooling is emerging as a promising pathway to address critical challenges in climate resilience and energy consumption.
Recently, the development of radiative cooling materials and photonic structures has increasingly centered on their practical applications, particularly in extreme environments that impose distinct material and performance requirements. These environments can be broadly categorized into terrestrial dwelling environments, terrestrial extreme environments, aeronautical environments, and space environments, each demanding unique design considerations for radiative cooling materials and micro-nano structures (Fig. 1). Specifically, in terrestrial dwelling environments, which are suitable for human habitation but subject to external factors that can impact material performance, radiative cooling devices are required to emit MIR radiation in the primary atmospheric window (AW) range of 8–13 μm, while resisting various forms of environmental damage encountered in daily life, including bacteria, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, contamination, flames, acid/alkali rain, and particulate matter (PM) [4–7]. In terrestrial extreme environments, characterized by high temperatures and high humidity, which are unsuitable for habitation, it is necessary to introduce additional heat exchange pathways, such as secondary atmospheric windows (3–5 and 16–25 μm), evaporation, and phase change mechanisms [8–10]. In aeronautical environments, which involve high-altitude or high-speed flight where maintaining a low infrared signature is essential to avoid detection, keeping infrared camouflage is a crucial requirement for radiative cooling sy
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Jianing Xu, Wei Xie, Hexiang Han, Chengyu Xiao, Jing Li, Yifan Zhang, Shaowen Chen, Binyuan Zhao, Di Zhang, Han Zhou (2025). Radiative Cooling Materials for Extreme Environmental Applications. Nano-Micro Letters. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-025-01835-9
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is radiative cooling?
Radiative cooling is a passive thermal management strategy that dissipates heat through infrared radiation to the cold sink of outer space, without energy input.
What are the main applications of radiative cooling?
Applications include building energy management, personal thermal management, high-temperature equipment maintenance, and thermal regulation in space technologies.
What are the challenges for radiative cooling in extreme environments?
Challenges include environmental aging, UV radiation, contamination, high humidity, and the need for additional heat exchange pathways to maintain performance.
What are the key design principles for extreme radiative cooling materials?
Design principles involve tailoring heat exchange channels based on thermal flow equilibrium to optimize cooling capacity in specific extreme environments.
What are the future directions for radiative cooling in extreme environments?
Future directions include developing materials with enhanced durability, integrating multiple heat exchange mechanisms, and addressing commercialization challenges.
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