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Abstract Solar‐induced thermal challenges in buildings, cold chain logistics, and spacecrafts may be overcome by integrating passive radiative cooling (PRC) with aerogels having thermal insulation (TI). Herein, a universal radiative cooling silica aerogel (UCSA) is prepared through the simple regeneration and freeze‐drying of commercial quartz fiber membranes. The optically engineered UCSA with a hybrid structure (silica nanofibers/microbeads) achieves remarkable solar reflectance ( R S.E. = 98.1%) and atmospheric transparency window emittance ( ε ATW = 92.1%) under Earth conditions, with a theoretical daytime cooling power of 103.3 W m −2 . In the harsh space environment, it exhibits ultrahigh average solar reflectance ( R S.E. = 99.1%) and broadband mid‐infrared emittance ( ε MIR = 90%), achieving a cooling power of 354.1 W m −2 . Compared to single‐functional approaches, UCSA synergistically integrates the PRC and TI performance for excellent thermal management capability. Moreover, this ceramic aerogel can resist temperatures up to 830 °C, safeguarding building occupants and spacecraft electronics. Furthermore, UCSA passes environmental aging and thermal vacuum outgassing tests for long‐term viability both on Earth and in space. Finally, a USCA‐covered box achieves an average sub‐ambient cooling of 18.6 °C when exposed to sunlight. In summary, UCSA opens a path for energy‐efficient and sustainable cooling strategy with universal applications.
Lan et al. (2024) studied this question.