The sun (~6000 K) and outer space (~3 K) are the original heat source and
sink for human beings on Earth. The energy applications of absorbing solar
irradiation and harvesting the coldness of outer space for energy utilization
have attracted considerable interest from researchers. However, combining these
two functions in a static device for continuous energy harvesting is
unachievable due to the intrinsic infrared spectral conflict. In this study, we
developed spectral self-adaptive absorber/emitter (SSA/E) for daytime
photothermal and nighttime radiative sky cooling modes depending on the phase
transition of the vanadium dioxide coated layer. A 24-hour day-night test
showed that the fabricated SSA/E has continuous energy harvesting ability and
improved overall energy utilization performance, thus showing remarkable
potential in future energy applications.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figure