Evolutionary algorithms applied to multi-layered radiative cooling metamaterials

Abstract

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.