Adaptive and ultrabroadband thermal control with solid-state nanophotonic emitters

Abstract

Managing the emission and absorption of thermal radiation is crucial for a wide range of technologies, from radiative cooling of buildings and vehicles to thermal regulation of satellites and future lunar and Mars habitats. Despite this universal and critical need, thermal emitters capable of adaptively modulating emissivity in a broadband, high-contrast, and fully solid-state manner remain elusive. Here, we leverage neural-network-guided photonic design to enable adaptive, solid-state thermal emitters based on chalcogenide phase-change materials capable of emissivity switching with extreme spectral contrast and bandwidth. These engineered nanophotonic emitters operate over a broad spectrum$-$from solar through thermal infrared$-$providing very low solar absorptivity while enabling switchable thermal infrared emissivity with high contrast. We experimentally demonstrate the core functionality of our approach in the space-like radiative environment in the stratosphere, observing a 31.5 °C temperature differential between the two solid-state phases of a simplified chalcogenide GeSbTe-225 thermal emitter. Our results point to even more significant capabilities, such as the potential to modulate >600 W/m$^2$ of radiative heat (at 100 °C) with minimal solar heating in the vacuum of space. The proposed nanophotonic solid-state adaptive emitter could provide high-power and high-speed heat modulation while requiring no power to maintain state, offering transformative capabilities for thermal control in dynamic radiative environments on Earth and in space.