Bioinspired Hierarchical Radiative‐Phase Change Hybrid Cooling Composite with Record‐Breaking Cooling Power
Abstract
Abstract Passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC) offers a sustainable route to reducing cooling energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. However, conventional PDRC materials exhibit limited cooling power (<150 W m −2 ), insufficient for growing cooling demands. While integrating phase change materials enhances cooling capacity, to balance radiative cooling, latent heat, and heat transfer performances remains challenging due to their conflicting requirements. Inspired by the light scattering mechanism of nacre‐pearl systems, hierarchically microstructured radiative‐phase change hybrid cooling (RPHC) composites with a homogeneous morphology are developed via a water pre‐removal strategy. The composite combines a multilayered microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) matrix with core–shell phase change capsules (PCCs), achieving solar reflectivity of 0.969 and mid‐infrared emissivity of 0.958. Efficient PCC integration provides a high latent heat of 132.1 J g −1 . This nacre‐pearl‐inspired design enables a record‐high PRHC power of 226 W m −2 and an average temperature reduction of 10.1 °C below ambient. Applied to building envelopes, the MFC/PCC composite reduces cooling energy use by up to 4.4%, potentially cutting global CO 2 emissions by 1.22 billion metric tons annually. Overall, this work provides innovative energy‐saving materials for energy savings and carbon neutrality.
Article Details
Authors (10)
Xinpeng Hu
Key Laboratory of Material Chemistry for Energy Conversion and Storage Ministry of Education Hubei Key Laboratory of Material Chemistry and Service Failure and Hubei Engineering Research Center for Biomaterials and Medical Protective Materials School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Huazhong University of Science and Technology Wuhan Hubei 430074 P. R. China
Bingqing Quan
Key Laboratory of Material Chemistry for Energy Conversion and Storage Ministry of Education Hubei Key Laboratory of Material Chemistry and Service Failure and Hubei Engineering Research Center for Biomaterials and Medical Protective Materials School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Huazhong University of Science and Technology Wuhan Hubei 430074 P. R. China
Zhanjin Shi
Key Laboratory of Material Chemistry for Energy Conversion and Storage Ministry of Education Hubei Key Laboratory of Material Chemistry and Service Failure and Hubei Engineering Research Center for Biomaterials and Medical Protective Materials School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Huazhong University of Science and Technology Wuhan Hubei 430074 P. R. China
Xiangyu Zhao
Gangchen Lu
Key Laboratory of Material Chemistry for Energy Conversion and Storage Ministry of Education Hubei Key Laboratory of Material Chemistry and Service Failure and Hubei Engineering Research Center for Biomaterials and Medical Protective Materials School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Huazhong University of Science and Technology Wuhan Hubei 430074 P. R. China
Yang Ding
Jiancheng Lai
Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University
Jinping Qu
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
Yucan Peng
Department of Materials Science and Engineering Stanford University Stanford California USA
Xiang Lu