Collaborative passive cooling of impact-hardening interfaces enabled by nacre-mimetic design

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Composite Materials

Background:

• Effective thermal management and mechanical protection are crucial for outdoor electronic devices.
• Existing materials often struggle to balance passive cooling and impact resistance.
• Nacre's hierarchical structure provides inspiration for advanced composite design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a nacre-mimetic composite with synergistic improvements in passive cooling and impact resistance.
• To investigate the material's thermal properties, flame retardancy, and mechanical behavior.
• To assess its potential for protecting outdoor devices in extreme conditions.

Main Methods:

• A brick-and-mortar strategy was employed, regulating composite components for enhanced properties.
• Dynamic crosslinking was utilized to achieve spectral non-absorption and strain-rate-dependent hardening.
• Thermo-mechanical coupling in a sandwich configuration was designed for device protection.

Main Results:

• The composite achieved a thermal anisotropy ratio of 44.47 and remained nonflammable at 873 K for 1 hour.
• High solar reflectance (0.97) and mid-infrared emittance (0.97 at 393 K) were observed, enabling >40% urban cooling energy savings.
• The material resisted projectile penetration at 50 m/s, maintained performance after recycling, and dissipated 97.90% of impact force in a protective configuration.

Conclusions:

• The nacre-inspired composite effectively balances thermal management and mechanical buffering for outdoor devices.
• Its sustainable design and multi-physics coupling capabilities offer robust protection in harsh environments.
• The developed material shows significant promise for safeguarding electronics and reducing urban heat island effects.