Study on the effect of M/P ratio of magnesium phosphate cement coatings on reducing urban heat absorption

•MPC coatings with different M/P ratios from 4:1 to 10:1 were prepared to study the reflective properties and mechanisms.•The increase of M/P ratio improved the brightness and weakened the performance of other colors.•MPC-10 had a reflectance curve similar to that of MgO, with reflectivity of 59.25% in the VIS band and 71.41% in the NIR band.•MPC coatings can effectively reduce the heat absorption of pavement.