Robust Radiative Cooling in Functionalizable Silica Microsphere Paints

Abstract

Disordered coatings based on silica microspheres provide a scalable and robust platform for passive daytime radiative cooling. While particle-size optimization is often considered critical for enhancing solar scattering, the role of microsphere diameter once a coating operates in the multiple-scattering regime remains unclear. Here, we characterize the radiative cooling performance of disordered, optically thick photonic glass coatings with diameters ranging from 2 to 8 um. Despite measurable differences in microscopic scattering properties, both the spectral radiative response and the net cooling performance are robust to variations in particle diameter when the system operates deep in the diffusive regime. Outdoor thermal measurements reveal nearly identical steady-state temperature reductions across the full size range. These results indicate that radiative cooling in photonic glass coatings is governed by collective light transport, enabling microsphere size to be selected based on surface chemistry or processing constraints without compromising cooling performance.