Enhanced radiative cooling with dual efficiency stacking for sensitive weather issues

Radiative cooling (RC) offers a sustainable strategy for reducing energy consumption, yet its practical employment remains hindered by weather diversity. In particular, moisture-induced radiation suppression, stemming from the strong absorption of mid-infrared photons by interfacial water, severely compromises cooling performance under humid conditions. Herein, we report a novel stratified bilayer architecture that integrates RC with an evaporative cooling (EC) through the physical isolation of a hygroscopic hydrogel beneath a radiative PTFE/PET surface. This cooler harmonizes advanced radiative cooling with evaporative cooling performance. The hydrophobic PTFE/PET interface enables efficient vapor escape while maintaining unobstructed infrared emission, thereby fundamentally mitigating water-induced suppression. Benefitting from this design, the cooler achieves a high solar reflectivity of 0.95, an emissivity of 0.97 and water absorption of 2.5 g g⁻¹ with a thermal mass release of 31 %. The synergistic contribution of the porous framework and hygroscopic adsorbent further delivers a water absorption and cooling capacity of 50 kg m⁻³. Compared with conventional RC devices, the bilayer cooler exhibits stable and long-lasting cooling, maintaining temperatures up to 5 °C lower than RC counterparts over continuous three-day testing. This work provides a reliable and scalable cooling strategy that effectively couples radiative and evaporative pathways while offering environmentally benign features, highlighting its promise for scalable, environmentally benign cooling technologies.