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Scalable, Flexible, and UV-Resistant Bacterial Cellulose Composite Film for Daytime Radiative Cooling
Yuan-Cheng Ding1, Guo-Wei Tang2, Hao-Yu Zhao1,3
1School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Energy Devices & Interface Science, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Ning-Liu Road 219, Nanjing 210026, China.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|January 21, 2025
Summary
This study introduces a bacterial cellulose-based film for sustainable radiative cooling. The eco-friendly material achieves significant subambient temperatures, offering potential for energy conservation and food preservation.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Radiative cooling utilizes passive technology to reflect solar radiation and emit thermal radiation.
- Synthetic polymers are common for radiative cooling but pose environmental risks.
- Bacterial cellulose offers an eco-friendly, scalable alternative with high infrared emissivity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a sustainable bacterial cellulose-based composite film (BCF) for enhanced radiative cooling.
- To investigate the optical properties, environmental tolerance, and cooling performance of the BCF.
- To assess the BCF's potential applications in energy conservation and food preservation.
Main Methods:
- A facile agitation spraying method was used to create a cross-linked bacterial cellulose network structure.
- Optical properties, including infrared emissivity, were characterized.
- Subambient cooling performance was measured under different time conditions.
- Durability was tested under continuous UV irradiation.
- Fruit preservation effectiveness was evaluated under solar irradiation.
Main Results:
- The bacterial cellulose-based composite film (BCF) exhibited superior optical properties and environmental tolerance.
- The BCF achieved a high infrared emissivity of 94.6%.
- Significant subambient cooling was demonstrated, with maximum temperature drops of 7.15 °C during the day and 2.7 °C at night.
- The BCF maintained stable emissivity after 240 hours of UV irradiation and effectively preserved fruit freshness.
Conclusions:
- The developed BCF offers a high-performance, sustainable radiative cooling solution.
- BCF demonstrates excellent environmental tolerance and durability.
- Potential applications include building energy conservation, enhancing solar cell efficiency, and food transportation packaging.
