A photoluminescent hydrogen-bonded biomass aerogel for sustainable radiative cooling

Passive radiant cooling is a potentially sustainable thermal management strategy amid escalating global climate change. However, petrochemical-derived cooling materials often face efficiency challenges owing to the absorption of sunlight. We present an intrinsic photoluminescent biomass aerogel, whi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2024-07, Vol.385 (6704), p.68-74
Main Authors: Ma, Jian-Wen, Zeng, Fu-Rong, Lin, Xin-Cen, Wang, Yan-Qin, Ma, Yi-Heng, Jia, Xu-Xu, Zhang, Jin-Cheng, Liu, Bo-Wen, Wang, Yu-Zhong, Zhao, Hai-Bo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aerogels
Ambient temperature
Atmospheric windows
Biomass
Cooling effects
Environmental impact
Gelatin
Hydrogen bonding
I.R. radiation
Infrared radiation
Passive cooling
Phosphorescence
Photoluminescence
Polymers
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Summary:Passive radiant cooling is a potentially sustainable thermal management strategy amid escalating global climate change. However, petrochemical-derived cooling materials often face efficiency challenges owing to the absorption of sunlight. We present an intrinsic photoluminescent biomass aerogel, which has a visible light reflectance exceeding 100%, that yields a large cooling effect. We discovered that DNA and gelatin aggregation into an ordered layered aerogel achieves a solar-weighted reflectance of 104.0% in visible light regions through fluorescence and phosphorescence. The cooling effect can reduce ambient temperatures by 16.0°C under high solar irradiance. In addition, the aerogel, efficiently produced at scale through water-welding, displays high reparability, recyclability, and biodegradability, completing an environmentally conscious life cycle. This biomass photoluminescence material is another tool for designing next-generation sustainable cooling materials.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.adn5694