Spider-Silk-Inspired Nanocomposite Polymers for Durable Daytime Radiative Cooling

Pengcheng Yao, Zipeng Chen, Tianji Liu, Xiangbiao Liao, Zhengwei Yang, Jinlei Li, Yi Jiang, Ning Xu, Wei Li, Bin Zhu*, Jia Zhu*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

85 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC) materials, that strongly reflect sunlight and emit thermal radiation to outer space, demonstrate great potential in energy-saving for sustainable development. Particularly, polymer-based PDRC materials, with advantages of easy-processing, low cost, and outstanding cooling performance, have attracted intense attention. However, just like other polymer devices (for example polymer solar cells) working under sunlight, the issue of durability related to mechanical and UV properties needs to be addressed for large-scale practical applications. Here, a spider-silk-inspired design of nanocomposite polymers with potassium titanate (K2Ti6O13) nanofiber dopants is proposed for enhancing the durability without compromising their cooling performance. The formed tough interface of nanofiber/polymer effectively disperses stress, enhancing the mechanical properties of the polymer matrix; while the K2Ti6O13 can absorb high-energy UV photons and transform them into less harmful heat, thereby improving the UV stabilities. Taking poly(ethylene oxide) radiative cooler as an example for demonstration, its Young's modulus and UV resistance increase by 7 and 12 times, respectively. Consequently, the solar reflectance of nanocomposite poly(ethylene oxide) is maintained as constant in a continuous aging test for 720 h under outdoor sunlight. The work provides a general strategy to simultaneously enhance both the mechanical stability and the UV durability of polymer-based PDRC materials toward large-scale applications.

Original languageEnglish
Article number2208236
JournalAdvanced Materials
Volume34
Issue number51
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 22 Dec 2022

Keywords

  • durability
  • passive daytime radiative cooling
  • poly(ethylene oxide)
  • potassium titanate
  • radiative cooling

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Spider-Silk-Inspired Nanocomposite Polymers for Durable Daytime Radiative Cooling'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this