Beyond passive coupling: Adaptive radiative cooling and phase change architectures for dynamic thermal management

Decarbonizing thermal management systems is essential for achieving global climate goals. Using radiative cooling (RC) combined with phase change material (PCM) represents an alternative approach towards achieving energy-neutral temperature control. Nevertheless, the typical RC-PCM solutions depend on fixed structures that are characterized by a lack of flexibility in structure which leads to thermodynamic and kinetic limitations. The solution to such system mismatches requires switching between passive temperature buffering and active, adaptive regulation strategies. This review not only focuses on traditional material optimization but also examines the latest advances in dynamical thermal management systems. It discusses how stimuli-responsive materials such as vanadium dioxide (VO 2 ) enable real-time adjustment of optical properties and what components like heat pipes or microfluidic systems could provide an efficient heat transfer mechanism to manage heat exchange routes. It evaluates the usefulness of these adaptive structures in various situations (building envelopes, photovoltaic modules and wearable devices) when they are exposed to non-stationary thermal loads. Lastly, it provides a pathway to future development, where AI-enabled design can be used as an enabler of creating self-sustaining thermal control systems that are intelligent.