Ultraviolet durable and recyclable radiative cooling covering for efficient building energy saving

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Sustainable Energy
• Building Technology

Background:

• Passive radiative cooling (PRC) is a key zero-energy technology for building energy efficiency.
• Current polymer-based PRC materials suffer from poor UV durability and limited recyclability, hindering widespread adoption.
• Developing advanced PRC materials is crucial for reducing global building energy consumption.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a recyclable polymer-based porous radiative cooling film with enhanced UV durability.
• To evaluate the film's performance in passive radiative cooling and its potential for building energy saving.
• To investigate the material's UV resistance and recyclability mechanisms.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a recyclable polymer-based porous radiative cooling film.
• Characterization of the film's radiative cooling performance under solar irradiance.
• Assessment of UV durability through extended exposure testing.
• Evaluation of recyclability using a nonsolvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) approach.

Main Results:

• The developed film achieved a radiative cooling capability of 10.6 °C at 510 W m^-2.
• The film demonstrated excellent UV durability, maintaining high solar reflectivity after 240 hours of UV exposure.
• Calculated energy savings indicated a potential reduction of 31% in cooling energy consumption.
• The material proved to be cyclically usable via a simple NIPS method.

Conclusions:

• A novel recyclable and UV-durable polymer-based porous radiative cooling film was successfully developed.
• The material offers a promising solution for sustainable building energy management.
• This research paves the way for advanced, eco-friendly thermal management materials.