α-MoO3–SiC metasurface for mid-IR directional propagation of phonon polaritons and passive daytime radiative cooling.

Various methods for controlling the in-plane propagation direction and topological transitions of phonon polaritons (PhPs) in anisotropic van der Waals (vdW) materials rely on using twisted vdW bi-layers or the hybridization of anisotropic vdW materials with other functional materials such as graphene, hBN, and SiC. At the same time, visibly transparent SiC- and SiO2-based metastructures have potential to solve the problem of daytime radiative cooling. Here, as a unique method, we design a bifunctional α-MoO3-integrated SiC metasurface for effectively controlling the in-plane propagation direction of α-MoO3 PhPs. The control is enabled by a topological transition in the PhP dispersion, which is achieved by proper arrangements of the SiC meta-atoms. The proposed functionality of the designed metasurface is beneficial for the mid-infrared in-plane coupling between quantum emitters and heat management. Moreover, the α-MoO3–SiC metasurface functions as an efficient visibly transparent daytime radiative cooler. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]