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Radiative Cooling Nanofabric for Personal Thermal Management
Mohammad Irfan Iqbal1, Kaixin Lin1, Fengxin Sun2
1School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon 999077, Hong Kong.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|May 13, 2022
Summary
This study developed a novel nanofabric that reflects sunlight and transmits mid-infrared radiation, significantly improving personal thermal regulation. The advanced textile offers substantial cooling, reducing skin temperature by 9°C in direct sunlight.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Textile Engineering
- Thermal Regulation
Background:
- Developing wearable textiles for effective thermal regulation in outdoor environments is challenging.
- Simultaneous reflection of solar radiation and transmission of mid-infrared (mid-IR) radiation is key for passive cooling.
Purpose of the Study:
- To engineer a nanofabric with high solar reflectivity and mid-IR transmissivity for enhanced human thermal regulation.
- To evaluate the cooling performance of the developed nanofabric under various environmental conditions.
Main Methods:
- Utilized nanoparticle-doped polymers (zinc oxide and polyethylene) and electrospinning technology to create the nanofabric.
- Quantified optical properties including solar reflectivity (91%) and mid-IR transmissivity (81%).
- Conducted outdoor field tests comparing nanofabric to cotton textile and developed a heat-transfer model for performance assessment.
Main Results:
- The nanofabric demonstrated a significant reduction in simulated skin temperature by 9°C compared to cotton under direct sunlight.
- Heat-transfer modeling indicated the nanofabric effectively mitigates heat stress in most climate conditions.
- The material showed feasibility for widespread use, reducing cooling demand even in extreme environments.
Conclusions:
- The developed nanofabric is a feasible and effective solution for personal thermoregulation, offering energy-free cooling.
- Facile fabrication enables mass adoption for healthcare, climate change adaptation, and sustainability.
- The textile provides a significant cooling effect, reducing reliance on active cooling methods.
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