Spider‐Silk‐Inspired Nanocomposite Polymers for Durable Daytime Radiative Cooling. Issue 51 (16th November 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Yao, Pengcheng; Chen, Zipeng; Liu, Tianji; Liao, Xiangbiao; Yang, Zhengwei; Li, Jinlei; Jiang, Yi; Xu, Ning; Li, Wei; Zhu, Bin; Zhu, Jia
• Is Part Of: Advanced materials. Volume 34:Issue 51(2022)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2022-11-16
• Subjects: durability -- passive daytime radiative cooling -- poly(ethylene oxide) -- potassium titanate -- radiative cooling; Materials -- Periodicals; Chemical vapor deposition -- Periodicals; 620.11
• DOI: 10.1002/adma.202208236
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0935-9648

Abstract

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 (K2 Ti6 O13 ) 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 K2 Ti6 O13 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. Abstract : The issue of durability related to mechanical and UV properties of radiative cooling materials needs to be addressed for practical applications. A spider‐silk‐inspired design of nanocomposite polymers with K2 Ti6 O13 nanofiber dopants for enhancing the durability without compromising their cooling performance is proposed. This work provides a general strategy to enhance the durability of polymer‐based PDRC materials toward large‐scale applications.