Overcoming the trade-off between the aesthetic requirements and cooling efficiency of passive radiative cooling materials is challenging. Now, composites that use the photoluminescence of rare-earth-doped phosphors to achieve efficient sub-ambient cooling and vibrant colours are demonstrated.
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References
Fan, S. & Li, W. Photonics and thermodynamics concepts in radiative cooling. Nat. Photonics 16, 182–190 (2022). A review article that presents the fundamental concepts of radiative cooling.
Lin, K. et al. Hierarchically structured passive radiative cooling ceramic with high solar reflectivity. Science 382, 691–697 (2023). This paper reports a white radiative cooling ceramic with a solar reflectance of 99.6%.
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This is a summary of: Fu, Y. et al. Photoluminescent radiative cooling for aesthetic and urban comfort. Nat. Sustain. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-025-01657-y (2025).
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Coloured composites harness photoluminescence for radiative cooling. Nat Sustain (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-025-01664-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-025-01664-z
