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Metasurface optical solar reflectors using AZO transparent conducting oxides for radiative cooling of spacecraft

Metasurface optical solar reflectors using AZO transparent conducting oxides for radiative cooling of spacecraft
Metasurface optical solar reflectors using AZO transparent conducting oxides for radiative cooling of spacecraft
Optical solar reflectors are devices that combine high reflection for visible wavelengths with a strong emissivity in the infrared. Compared to the conventional rigid quartz tiles used on spacecraft since the 1960s, thin-film solutions can offer a significant advantage in weight, assembly, and launch costs. Here, we present a metasurface-based approach using an Al-doped ZnO (AZO) transparent conducting oxide as infrared plasmonic material. The AZO is patterned into a metasurface to achieve broad plasmonic resonances with an enhanced absorption of electromagnetic radiation in the thermal infrared. In the visible range, the transparent conducting oxide provides low losses for solar radiation, while intrinsic absorption losses in the ultraviolet range are effectively suppressed using a multilayer reflecting coating. The addition of high-emissivity layers to the stack eventually results in comparable emissivity values to the thin plasmonic device, thus defining a window of opportunity for plasmonic absorption as a design strategy for ultrathin devices. The optimized experimental structure achieves solar absorptance (α) of 0.16 and thermal emissivity (ε) of 0.79. Our first prototype demonstrator paves the way for further improvement and large-area fabrication of metasurface solar reflectors and ultimately their application in space missions.
2330-4022
495-501
Sun, Kai
b7c648a3-7be8-4613-9d4d-1bf937fb487b
Riedel, Christoph A.
1ba99a96-d018-4c62-b0f0-67eb3d0b8e5e
Wang, Yudong
48958e9a-d1d2-45f5-93e7-5a35d0b1b40e
Urbani, Alessandro
d68233a3-a42d-4291-b938-9bf05daa22b2
Simeoni, Mirko
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Mengali, Sandro
e9ff1aee-6345-4414-af05-4d99308fdb73
Zalkovskij, Maksim
7f4cda26-12f7-4318-93e6-cf624ab5baed
Bilenberg, Brian
345bbbb4-8e4d-4330-b64e-6699cc81fbdd
De Groot, C. H.
92cd2e02-fcc4-43da-8816-c86f966be90c
Muskens, Otto L.
2284101a-f9ef-4d79-8951-a6cda5bfc7f9
Sun, Kai
b7c648a3-7be8-4613-9d4d-1bf937fb487b
Riedel, Christoph A.
1ba99a96-d018-4c62-b0f0-67eb3d0b8e5e
Wang, Yudong
48958e9a-d1d2-45f5-93e7-5a35d0b1b40e
Urbani, Alessandro
d68233a3-a42d-4291-b938-9bf05daa22b2
Simeoni, Mirko
8a24802d-647f-4fc1-b45e-87b922c9d990
Mengali, Sandro
e9ff1aee-6345-4414-af05-4d99308fdb73
Zalkovskij, Maksim
7f4cda26-12f7-4318-93e6-cf624ab5baed
Bilenberg, Brian
345bbbb4-8e4d-4330-b64e-6699cc81fbdd
De Groot, C. H.
92cd2e02-fcc4-43da-8816-c86f966be90c
Muskens, Otto L.
2284101a-f9ef-4d79-8951-a6cda5bfc7f9

Sun, Kai, Riedel, Christoph A., Wang, Yudong, Urbani, Alessandro, Simeoni, Mirko, Mengali, Sandro, Zalkovskij, Maksim, Bilenberg, Brian, De Groot, C. H. and Muskens, Otto L. (2018) Metasurface optical solar reflectors using AZO transparent conducting oxides for radiative cooling of spacecraft. ACS Photonics, 52, 495-501. (doi:10.1021/acsphotonics.7b00991).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Optical solar reflectors are devices that combine high reflection for visible wavelengths with a strong emissivity in the infrared. Compared to the conventional rigid quartz tiles used on spacecraft since the 1960s, thin-film solutions can offer a significant advantage in weight, assembly, and launch costs. Here, we present a metasurface-based approach using an Al-doped ZnO (AZO) transparent conducting oxide as infrared plasmonic material. The AZO is patterned into a metasurface to achieve broad plasmonic resonances with an enhanced absorption of electromagnetic radiation in the thermal infrared. In the visible range, the transparent conducting oxide provides low losses for solar radiation, while intrinsic absorption losses in the ultraviolet range are effectively suppressed using a multilayer reflecting coating. The addition of high-emissivity layers to the stack eventually results in comparable emissivity values to the thin plasmonic device, thus defining a window of opportunity for plasmonic absorption as a design strategy for ultrathin devices. The optimized experimental structure achieves solar absorptance (α) of 0.16 and thermal emissivity (ε) of 0.79. Our first prototype demonstrator paves the way for further improvement and large-area fabrication of metasurface solar reflectors and ultimately their application in space missions.

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Accepted/In Press date: 3 September 2017
e-pub ahead of print date: 29 November 2017
Published date: 2018

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 416749
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/416749
ISSN: 2330-4022
PURE UUID: 4b755b85-5916-449c-ac47-68df8cc558aa
ORCID for Kai Sun: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-6807-6253
ORCID for C. H. De Groot: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-3850-7101
ORCID for Otto L. Muskens: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-0693-5504

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Date deposited: 08 Jan 2018 17:30
Last modified: 15 Jun 2024 01:42

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Contributors

Author: Kai Sun ORCID iD
Author: Christoph A. Riedel
Author: Yudong Wang
Author: Alessandro Urbani
Author: Mirko Simeoni
Author: Sandro Mengali
Author: Maksim Zalkovskij
Author: Brian Bilenberg
Author: C. H. De Groot ORCID iD
Author: Otto L. Muskens ORCID iD

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