High-temperature resistant infrared low-emissivity coating for thermal insulation
*Correspondence to:
Yi Jiang, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Artificial Functional Materials, Frontiers Science Center for Critical Earth Material Cycling, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, Jiangsu, China; School of Sustainable energy and Resources, Nanjing University, Suzhou 215163, Jiangsu, China.
E-mail: yijiang@nju.edu.cn
Bin Zhu, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Artificial Functional Materials, Frontiers Science Center for Critical Earth Material Cycling, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, Jiangsu, China. E-mail: binzhu@nju.edu.cn
Bin Zhu, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Artificial Functional Materials, Frontiers Science Center for Critical Earth Material Cycling, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, Jiangsu, China. E-mail: binzhu@nju.edu.cn
Thermo-X. 2027;3:202637. 10.70401/tx.2026.0040
Received: August 27, 2026Accepted: November 11, 2026Published: November 13, 2026
This manuscript is made available in its unedited form to allow early access to the
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Abstract
High-temperature infrared low-emissivity coatings are attractive for thermal protection, energy conservation, and suppression of radiative heat loss from industrial equipment. However, conventional low-emissivity coatings may undergo metal oxidation, binder degradation, interfacial damage, and emissivity growth during thermal exposure and environmental aging. Here, a high-temperature resistant coating is developed with low emissivity by incorporating surface-modified aluminum flakes into a heat-resistant modified polyurethane matrix. The coating exhibits a uniform silver-gray surface with a preferentially parallel-aligned, near-surface aluminum-flake network that provided an infrared emissivity of 0.29±0.05. Under identical heating conditions, the measured temperature of the low-emissivity-coated sample is up to 45.74±0.46 °C higher than that of the commercial-coating. The coating retains its high infrared reflectance with negligible absolute change of less than 0.06 after 200 °C continuous high-temperature test, 1000-h ultraviolet irradiation, and 1000-h accelerated weathering test. The results demonstrate that the oriented metallic reflection network suppresses radiative heat dissipation, while the heat-resistant resin and stable interface preserve the reflective architecture during service. This work provides a practical design route for thin, weather-resistant, low-emissivity coatings in high-temperature equipment and industrial thermal management.
Keywords
Low-emissivity coating, aluminum flakes, infrared reflectance, high-temperature stability, environmental durability
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Qi W, Jiang Y, Guo T, Zhu J, Zhu B. High-temperature resistant infrared low-emissivity coating for thermal insulation. Thermo-X. 2027;3:202637. https://doi.org/10.70401/tx.2026.0040
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Qi W, Jiang Y, Guo T, Zhu J, Zhu B. High-temperature resistant infrared low-emissivity coating for thermal insulation. Thermo-X. 2027;3:202637. https://doi.org/10.70401/tx.2026.0040
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