Spectrally selective filter design for passive radiative cooling

Radiative cooling is potentially one of the most innovative approaches to reducing energy density in buildings and industry, as well as achieving higher levels of energy efficiency. Several studies have reported the design of spectrally selective layered structures for daytime passive radiative cooling. However, a comprehensive design of such systems requires the spectral behavior of different materials and radiative heat transfer mechanisms to be addressed together. Here, we introduce a design methodology for daytime passive radiative cooling with thin film filters which accounts for the spectral tailoring at the visible and infrared spectrum. The major difference of this method is that it does not require a predefined target ideal emittance. The results show that higher cooling powers are possible compared to the previously reported thin-film structures, which were designed from a purely spectral perspective. The underlying mechanisms of the resulting spectral profiles, which give rise to improved performance, are investigated by wave impedance analysis. Cooling powers up to 100 W/m(2) are obtained with seven layers on Ag. The findings of this study indicate that structures with better performance in terms of cooling powers and temperature reduction rates can be obtained following the procedure discussed. (C) 2020 Optical Society of America