Issue

Vol. 18 (2026)

Radiative Coupled Evaporation Cooling Hydrogel for Above-Ambient Heat Dissipation and Flame Retardancy

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-025-01903-0
Qin Ye
School of Energy Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 430001, People’s Republic of China
Yimou Huang
School of Energy Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 430001, People’s Republic of China
Baojian Yao
School of Energy Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 430001, People’s Republic of China
Zhuo Chen
School of Energy Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 430001, People’s Republic of China
Changming Shi
School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Brian W. Sheldon
School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Meijie Chen
School of Energy Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 430001, People’s Republic of China

Corresponding Author: Meijie Chen

chenmeijie@csu.edu.cn

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 18 (2026), Article Number: 50

Abstract

By combining the merits of radiative cooling (RC) and evaporation cooling (EC), radiative coupled evaporative cooling (REC) has attracted considerable attention for sub-ambient cooling purposes. However, for outdoor devices, the interior heating power would increase the working temperature and fire risk, which would suppress their above-ambient heat dissipation capabilities and passive water cycle properties. In this work, we introduced a REC design based on an all-in-one photonic hydrogel for above-ambient heat dissipation and flame retardancy. Unlike conventional design RC film for heat dissipation with limited cooling power and fire risk, REC hydrogel can greatly improve the heat dissipation performance in the daytime with a high workload, indicating a 12.0 °C lower temperature than the RC film under the same conditions in the outdoor experiment. In the nighttime with a low workload, RC-assisted adsorption can improve atmospheric water harvesting to ensure EC in the daytime. In addition, our REC hydrogel significantly enhanced flame retardancy by absorbing heat without a corresponding temperature rise, thus mitigating fire risks. Thus, our design shows a promising solution for the thermal management of outdoor devices, delivering outstanding performance in both heat dissipation and flame retardancy.


Highlights:
1 An all-in-one photonic hydrogel was designed for above-ambient heat dissipation and flame retardancy by sky radiative cooling and evaporation cooling.
2 Radiative coupled with evaporation cooling can greatly improve the heat dissipation performance, indicating a 12.0 °C lower than the radiative cooling film under the same conditions.
3 Radiative cooling-assisted adsorption can improve atmospheric water harvesting to ensure evaporation under periodic workload and meteorological parameters.

Keywords

Radiative cooling Evaporation cooling Heat dissipation Photonic hydrogel Flame retardancy
Ye, Qin, Yimou Huang, Baojian Yao, Zhuo Chen, Changming Shi, Brian W. Sheldon, and Meijie Chen. 2025. “Radiative Coupled Evaporation Cooling Hydrogel for Above-Ambient Heat Dissipation and Flame Retardancy”. Nano-Micro Letters 18 (September):50. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-025-01903-0.
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