Development of a highly stretchable and detachable radiative cooling cover to facilitate radiative cooling of outdoor object in various type

Abstract

This study addresses the pressing issues of global warming and environmental concerns, which have led to increasing efforts to reduce fossil fuel usage and greenhouse gas emissions. Specifically, it focuses on enhancing existing cooling systems that consume significant amounts of energy and release pollutants, by introducing innovative radiative cooling (RC) technology capable of cooling without energy consumption. The RC efficiently reflects solar radiation, prevents heating, and emits long-wavelength infrared radiation through the atmospheric window. This study reports on a stretchable and detachable radiative cooling (SDRC) device in the form of a fabric cover manufactured via electrospinning that offers a practical, cost-effective, and flexible cooling solution. This SDRC cover provided a solar reflectance of 93.3 % and an emissivity of 91.3 % in the atmospheric window region, enabling a cooling capacity of 94.1 W/m². In outdoor temperature experiments, the SDRC cover cools a covered object by approximately 7 °C below the ambient temperature. In addition, the SDRC cover has a stretchability of 200 %, which allows easy attachment to objects without an adhesive agent. Applying this SDRC cover to large complex-shaped objects significantly reduced the ambient temperature of the air within the object. The developed SDRC cover can be cooled and, in turn, cool objects below ambient temperature, reducing the need for cooling systems, pollutants, and electricity.