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Published on: October 18, 2017
3D-Printed Phase-Change Porous Monoliths for Adaptive Radiative Cooling with High Solar Reflectance and Latent Heat
Xue Liu1, Yufeng Wang2, Tianyi Zhu1
1State Key Laboratory of Advanced Fiber Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China.
Abstract:
Passive daytime radiative cooling offers an energy-efficient pathway for zero-energy cooling of buildings, vehicles, and outdoor objects under direct sunlight. However, its practical deployment is hindered by limited cooling power and the risk of nighttime overcooling. Although incorporating phase-change materials provides latent heat buffering, achieving high solar reflectivity in such composites remains a challenge. Herein, we present a phase-change porous monolith fabricated by direct-ink-written 3D printing, enabling large-scale production, structural programmability, and adaptive radiative cooling performance. The monolith consists of a three-dimensional cellulose nanofiber porous skeleton uniformly embedded with microencapsulated phase-change materials. By combining multiple solar scattering and latent heat storage/release features, the monolith achieves a solar reflectance of 95.6%, a mid-infrared emissivity of 94.6% within the atmospheric window, and an on-demand latent heat of 124 J g-1. This phase-change radiative cooling monolith enables approximately 9.0 °C subambient cooling under direct sunlight while delaying nighttime overcooling by ∼2.5 h. This study presents an efficient strategy for developing radiative cooling materials that integrate high spectral selectivity, latent heat buffering, and scalable manufacturability.
