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Published on: March 13, 2017
Subambient daytime radiative cooling textile based on nanoprocessed silk
Bin Zhu1, Wei Li2, Qian Zhang1,3
1National 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, Nanjing University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
Nanoprocessed silk textiles achieve subambient daytime radiative cooling, reducing skin temperature by 8°C without compromising comfort. This breakthrough offers a sustainable solution for personal thermal management and energy conservation.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Textile Engineering
Background:
- Energy consumption for thermal comfort is significant, driving research into passive personal cooling.
- Existing textile cooling methods have not achieved subambient daytime radiative cooling.
- Natural silk possesses unique optical properties but is limited by UV absorption.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a textile capable of daytime radiative cooling below ambient temperature.
- To explore nanoprocessing of silk for enhanced radiative cooling properties.
- To create a sustainable and comfortable personal thermoregulatory material.
Main Methods:
- Nanoprocessing of silk using molecular bonding and scalable dip-coating.
- Testing radiative cooling performance under direct sunlight (peak solar irradiance >900 W m⁻²).
- Measuring temperature reduction on stand-alone silk and simulated skin.
Main Results:
- Nanoprocessed silk achieved a temperature of ~3.5°C below ambient (~35°C).
- A temperature reduction of 8°C was observed for simulated skin coated with nanoprocessed silk compared to natural silk.
- The nanoprocessed silk maintained wearability and comfort.
Conclusions:
- Nanoprocessed silk enables subambient daytime radiative cooling.
- Scalable nanoprocessing of natural fabrics offers a pathway to advanced thermoregulatory materials.
- This technology presents an innovative approach to sustainable energy through passive cooling.
