Durable Anti-Dust Coating for Daytime Radiative Cooling

Sub-ambient daytime radiative cooling is a promising approach to energy challenges, but its long-term application is limited by performance losses from dust accumulation. Hydrophobic modification is ineffective at preventing dust embedding into the pores of radiative cooling materials, while traditional protective layers typically either compromise performance or are inconvenient for scalable deployment. Herein, a straightforward strategy integrating a MgO–Y 2 O 3 binary broadband scattering system with a modified SiO 2 low-adhesive protection interface is proposed. Through pore-size design and a hierarchical porous structure, this method realizes a synergy between cooling performance and anti-dust behavior. Specifically, a probability prediction model based on pore–dust particle interactions was developed to guide the optimized design, limiting the average embedding probability of fine dust to <2%. Meanwhile, the low-adhesive interface reduces the critical detachment force for dust motion to <15% of that for conventional radiative cooling coatings. This characteristic enables water-free self-cleaning functionality that can be achieved under mild wind, effectively resolving the conflict between “ideal suitability of radiative cooling for arid regions” and “water-dependent cleaning mechanisms of hydrophobic materials”. Moreover, the coating exhibited environmental durability through rigorous testing, demonstrating significant potential for scalable and practical applications.