Stretchable metal–dielectric–metal metasurface for dynamic radiation management

Abstract

Radiative cooling devices offer passive characteristics and hold significant potential for reducing energy consumption. However, to address changing climate needs, dynamic devices with tunable radiation properties are crucial. Here, we propose a novel, to the best of our knowledge, design for tunable radiative thermal management utilizing a reconfigurable flexible metasurface emitter. By applying biaxial stretching to alter the metasurface’s periodicity, its optical response can be continuously modulated. At ambient temperature, with a stretch ratio of 1.6, the device is predicted to achieve thermal management power modulations of 173W/m2 and 42W/m2 during daytime and nighttime, respectively. This approach holds promise for improving the efficiency of thermal management systems in applications such as buildings and smart windows.