Open Access
Enhancing the infrared and visible emission properties of calcium silicate hydrate for radiative cooling using metamaterials
(IEEE, 2022) Lezaun Capdevila, Carlos; Dolado, Jorge S.; Torres García, Alicia E.; Pérez Escudero, José Manuel; Liberal Olleta, Íñigo; Beruete Díaz, Miguel; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoaren eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritzaren
Two periodic structures composed of metal cylinders with different orientations are used to improve the solar reflection of calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) while maintaining its atmospheric emission. Interesting effects have been found when the distance between bars is small, suggesting that lattice effects, arising from the interaction between the rods could be leveraged in the design of these metamaterials. The size of the metal bars is selected based on state of the art micro-manufacturing techniques. This study limits its scope to a CSH gel model; i.e. the most important component of cement-based materials. Further research will be undertaken to consider a best description of the dielectric function of concrete.
Open Access
Lithography-free perfect narrowband absorbers using simple layered structures
(IEEE, 2024-10-08) Lezaun Capdevila, Carlos; Navajas Hernández, David; Liberal Olleta, Íñigo; Beruete Díaz, Miguel; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoa eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritza; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC
Light absorbers are key components for multiple applications ranging from heat and energy management to communications and sensing. This work explores different complex permittivity combinations for material-reflector and material-spacer-reflector configurations, achieving perfect absorption under different permittivity regimes and thicknesses. Using silicon carbide, we discuss polarization and angle dependencies, and the potential of exploiting different permittivity regimes within a device for multi-band absorption. This work helps standardize absorber design and offer insights to engineer perfect absorbers for applications such as thermal emission, absorption, communication and sensing.
Open Access
Evolutionary algorithms applied to multi-layered radiative cooling metamaterials
(IEEE, 2022) Lezaun Capdevila, Carlos; Jorajuria Gómez, Tania; Torres García, Alicia E.; Herrera, Pilar; Beruete Díaz, Miguel; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoaren eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritzaren
A newly design method for designing multi-layered radiative cooling metamaterials based on genetic algorithms (GAs) is exposed. The developed GA has been tested in three cases, resulting in three different structures that achieve, theoretically under direct sunlight, a net cooling power of 39.96 W/m 2 , 57.78 W/m 2 and 61.77 W/m 2 . Such devices are composed of 9, 15 and 24 layers respectively with a total thickness of less than 4.8 µm in the worst case. By the nature of the method, fewer design experience in metamaterials is needed, as well as it is free-cost, due to the use of analytical calculations for the emissivity of the meta materials instead of a commercial generic electromagnetic solver. Automated design of radiative cooling multi-layered structures and other applications in the infrared range can be further developed with this work.
Open Access
Multiple absorption regimes in simple lithography-free structures leading to ultrathin slabs
(2024-07-08) Lezaun Capdevila, Carlos; Navajas Hernández, David; Liberal Olleta, Íñigo; Beruete Díaz, Miguel; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoa eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritza; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
Electromagnetic absorbers serve as fundamental components for a wide range of applications, encompassing energy and heat management, sensing, and communications. In this study, we explore several complex permittivity combinations for lithography-free material-reflector and material-spacer-reflector configurations that lead to perfect absorption peaks across distinct permittivity regimes and varying thicknesses. We provide an extensive analysis of angle and polarization dependencies, specifically using silicon carbide as an illustrative example. Our findings reveal the potential for harnessing different absorption regimes within a single device, thus enabling the realization of multiband absorption capabilities. Furthermore, we demonstrate perfect absorption linked with extreme values of permittivity, and we find the conditions to get perfect absorption in ultrathin slabs. In addition, we carry out an analysis about the response at oblique incidence, and we identify a particular mode in the negative permittivity region and its hybridization with epsilon-near-zero modes at oblique incidence. This investigation serves as a valuable standardization of absorber design, offering insights to develop perfect absorbers for infrared applications such as thermal emission, communications, and sensing.
Open Access
Nanoparticle derived suppressed-scattering bands for radiative cooling
(IEEE, 2023) Lezaun Capdevila, Carlos; Pérez Escudero, José Manuel; Torres García, Alicia E.; Caggiano, Antonio; Peralta, Ignacio; Dolado, Jorge S.; Liberal Olleta, Íñigo; Beruete Díaz, Miguel; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoa eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritza; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC
Light scattering using resonant nanoparticles is crucial for improving sun irradiance reflection in a daytime radiative cooler. Popular nanoparticles in radiative cooling literature are analyzed in terms of scattering performance due to material dispersion. Different scattering properties in the infrared range have been detected while a similar behavior can be achieved in the solar range due to changes in material dispersion. Also, suppressed scattering windows are produced by dispersive nanoparticles, allowing high reflectance while enabling thermal emission selectively. Material dispersion alone produces such scattering windows, thus, given a material, they will always remain in the same region regardless geometry and location of particles. Lastly, calcium silicate hydrate (CSH), the main phase of concrete, is studied as a dispersive host example. These results demonstrate the importance of a co-design between host and nanoparticles dispersion for daytime radiative cooling and that nanoporosities design are a key ingredient that could allow concrete-based daytime radiative coolers.