Visible-infrared camouflage with efficient thermal management based on surface morphology regulation

Conventional strategy for visible (VIS) camouflage demands objects to have low reflectance in the VIS band to suppress the reflection of external light sources. However, the temperature elevation caused by daytime light absorption has a negative impact on infrared (IR) camouflage. Realizing VIS-IR camouflage compatible with efficient daytime cooling remains a challenge. Here, a selective emission rough surface (SERS) is proposed to weaken VIS characteristics by scattering, suppress thermal emission in atmospheric window, and elevate solar/radiative thermal management performance by selective emission. It innovatively combines a multilayer structure modulating over a wide wavelength range with a randomly dispersed scattering surface. The SERS exhibits a specular VIS reflectance of 4.08 % and a 3–5 μm/8–13 μm emissivity of 0.24/0.35 for VIS-IR camouflage. Furthermore, the high total reflectance of 76.3 % in the VIS band and high emissivity of 0.61/0.63 in 2.5–3 μm/5–8 μm bands ensures efficient solar/radiative thermal management. Moreover, the SERS sample exhibits 14.1 ℃ reduction compared to the black reference under 589 W m−2 solar irradiation. It also exhibits 21.8 ℃ decrement compared to the Ag at 2800 W m−2 input power. This work provides a novel approach for VIS-IR camouflage performance based on spectral design, scattering manipulation, and thermal management.