High-temperature infrared camouflage with efficient thermal management

High-temperature infrared (IR) camouflage is crucial to the effective concealment of high-temperature objects but remains a challenging issue, as the thermal radiation of an object is proportional to the fourth power of temperature ( T 4 ). Here, we experimentally demonstrate high-temperature IR camouflage with efficient thermal management. By combining a silica aerogel for thermal insulation and a Ge/ZnS multilayer wavelength-selective emitter for simultaneous radiative cooling (high emittance in the 5–8 μm non-atmospheric window) and IR camouflage (low emittance in the 8–14 μm atmospheric window), the surface temperature of an object is reduced from 873 to 410 K. The IR camouflage is demonstrated by indoor/outdoor (with/without earthshine) radiation temperatures of 310/248 K for an object at 873/623 K and a 78% reduction in with-earthshine lock-on range. This scheme may introduce opportunities for high-temperature thermal management and infrared signal processing. Thermal camouflage: hiding high-temperature objects The infrared signal from high-temperature structures such as jet engines and ship funnels could be significantly concealed by a composite material that reduces the radiation temperature of internally hot objects. Such “infrared camouflaging” is especially significant for military and civil applications, to reduce the threat from heat-seeking missiles and evade thermal imaging systems. Researchers in China, led by Qiang Li at Zhejiang University, built their layered thermal camouflage from a silica aerogel and a germanium/zinc sulfide blend. The highly porous aerogel forms effective insulation. The germanium/zinc sulfide layers achieve radiative cooling by emitting energy at wavelengths outside the atmosphere’s window. In tests on objects with an internal temperature of 600 °C, the camouflage material reduced the surface temperature and the radiation temperature to 137 °C and 37 °C, respectively.