Low‐Emissivity Patterned Camouflage for Visible and Infrared Stealth

Abstract

The development of multispectral detection emphasizes the significance of multispectra‐compatible camouflage technology, necessitating compatible camouflage for visible and infrared bands. Conventional painted camouflage is hindered by high infrared emissivity, and crafting patterns with existing low‐emissivity materials is hindered by the lack of adequate colors. Herein, this study introduces a method to reduce the emissivity while maintaining its original color. By covering a metafilm that reflects most infrared radiation on conventional patterned camouflage, low‐emissivity coatings are achieved. The thickness of the metafilm is optimized, effectively reducing color differences between uncoated and coated camouflage. Monochromatic substrates with the metafilm retain original colors with small color differences (e.g., 0.61) and demonstrate low infrared emissivity (0.03). Patterned camouflage yields an area‐weighted color difference of 9.09 with an infrared emissivity of 0.05. Experimental application on grassland backgrounds demonstrates visual integration with the background. Infrared thermography shows that coated camouflages, compared to uncoated ones, exhibits significantly reduced radiant temperature (29.5 °C vs. 43.0 °C) when heated to 50 °C against a 29.5 °C background, enhancing its blending capability. This metafilm effectively mitigates infrared emissivity while maintaining original colors and patterns, facilitating efficient camouflage across visible and infrared spectrums.