Nanoporous polyethylene microfibres for large-scale radiative cooling fabric

Yucan Peng; Jun Chen; Alex Y. Song; Peter B. Catrysse; Po Chun Hsu; Lili Cai; Bofei Liu; Yangying Zhu; Guangmin Zhou; David S. Wu; Hye Ryoung Lee; Shanhui Fan; Yi Cui

doi:10.1038/s41893-018-0023-2

Nanoporous polyethylene microfibres for large-scale radiative cooling fabric

Yucan Peng, Jun Chen, Alex Y. Song, Peter B. Catrysse, Po Chun Hsu, Lili Cai, Bofei Liu, Yangying Zhu, Guangmin Zhou, David S. Wu, Hye Ryoung Lee, Shanhui Fan, Yi Cui

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Global warming and energy crises severely limit the ability of human civilization to develop along a sustainable path. Increasing renewable energy sources and decreasing energy consumption are fundamental steps to achieve sustainability. Technological innovations that allow energy-saving behaviour can support sustainable development pathways. Energy-saving fabrics with a superior cooling effect and satisfactory wearability properties provide a novel way of saving the energy used by indoor cooling systems. Here, we report the large-scale extrusion of uniform and continuous nanoporous polyethylene (nanoPE) microfibres with cotton-like softness for industrial fabric production. The nanopores embedded in the fibre effectively scatter visible light to make it opaque without compromising the mid-infrared transparency. Moreover, using industrial machines, the nanoPE microfibres are utilized to mass produce fabrics. Compared with commercial cotton fabric of the same thickness, the nanoPE fabric exhibits a great cooling power, lowering the human skin temperature by 2.3 °C, which corresponds to a greater than 20% saving on indoor cooling energy. Besides the superior cooling effect, the nanoPE fabric also displays impressive wearability and durability. As a result, nanoPE microfibres represent basic building blocks to revolutionize fabrics for human body cooling and pave an innovative way to sustainable energy.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	105-112
Number of pages	8
Journal	Nature Sustainability
Volume	1
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-018-0023-2
State	Published - Feb 1 2018
Externally published	Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Global and Planetary Change
Food Science
Geography, Planning and Development
Ecology
Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
Urban Studies
Nature and Landscape Conservation
Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

Online availability

10.1038/s41893-018-0023-2

Library availability

Discover UIUC Full Text

Cite this

@article{8c6531aef95c4486b637cc293c838921,

title = "Nanoporous polyethylene microfibres for large-scale radiative cooling fabric",

abstract = "Global warming and energy crises severely limit the ability of human civilization to develop along a sustainable path. Increasing renewable energy sources and decreasing energy consumption are fundamental steps to achieve sustainability. Technological innovations that allow energy-saving behaviour can support sustainable development pathways. Energy-saving fabrics with a superior cooling effect and satisfactory wearability properties provide a novel way of saving the energy used by indoor cooling systems. Here, we report the large-scale extrusion of uniform and continuous nanoporous polyethylene (nanoPE) microfibres with cotton-like softness for industrial fabric production. The nanopores embedded in the fibre effectively scatter visible light to make it opaque without compromising the mid-infrared transparency. Moreover, using industrial machines, the nanoPE microfibres are utilized to mass produce fabrics. Compared with commercial cotton fabric of the same thickness, the nanoPE fabric exhibits a great cooling power, lowering the human skin temperature by 2.3 °C, which corresponds to a greater than 20% saving on indoor cooling energy. Besides the superior cooling effect, the nanoPE fabric also displays impressive wearability and durability. As a result, nanoPE microfibres represent basic building blocks to revolutionize fabrics for human body cooling and pave an innovative way to sustainable energy.",

author = "Yucan Peng and Jun Chen and Song, {Alex Y.} and Catrysse, {Peter B.} and Hsu, {Po Chun} and Lili Cai and Bofei Liu and Yangying Zhu and Guangmin Zhou and Wu, {David S.} and Lee, {Hye Ryoung} and Shanhui Fan and Yi Cui",

note = "Funding Information: This work was sponsored by the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E), US Department of Energy, under award DE-AR0000533. The authors thank H. Dai for lending them the thermal camera, and thank J. Lopez and V. Feig for helping with sample measurements. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2018 The Author(s).",

year = "2018",

month = feb,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1038/s41893-018-0023-2",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "1",

pages = "105--112",

journal = "Nature Sustainability",

issn = "2398-9629",

publisher = "Nature Publishing Group",

number = "2",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Nanoporous polyethylene microfibres for large-scale radiative cooling fabric

AU - Peng, Yucan

AU - Chen, Jun

AU - Song, Alex Y.

AU - Catrysse, Peter B.

AU - Hsu, Po Chun

AU - Cai, Lili

AU - Liu, Bofei

AU - Zhu, Yangying

AU - Zhou, Guangmin

AU - Wu, David S.

AU - Lee, Hye Ryoung

AU - Fan, Shanhui

AU - Cui, Yi

N1 - Funding Information: This work was sponsored by the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E), US Department of Energy, under award DE-AR0000533. The authors thank H. Dai for lending them the thermal camera, and thank J. Lopez and V. Feig for helping with sample measurements. Publisher Copyright: © 2018 The Author(s).

PY - 2018/2/1

Y1 - 2018/2/1

N2 - Global warming and energy crises severely limit the ability of human civilization to develop along a sustainable path. Increasing renewable energy sources and decreasing energy consumption are fundamental steps to achieve sustainability. Technological innovations that allow energy-saving behaviour can support sustainable development pathways. Energy-saving fabrics with a superior cooling effect and satisfactory wearability properties provide a novel way of saving the energy used by indoor cooling systems. Here, we report the large-scale extrusion of uniform and continuous nanoporous polyethylene (nanoPE) microfibres with cotton-like softness for industrial fabric production. The nanopores embedded in the fibre effectively scatter visible light to make it opaque without compromising the mid-infrared transparency. Moreover, using industrial machines, the nanoPE microfibres are utilized to mass produce fabrics. Compared with commercial cotton fabric of the same thickness, the nanoPE fabric exhibits a great cooling power, lowering the human skin temperature by 2.3 °C, which corresponds to a greater than 20% saving on indoor cooling energy. Besides the superior cooling effect, the nanoPE fabric also displays impressive wearability and durability. As a result, nanoPE microfibres represent basic building blocks to revolutionize fabrics for human body cooling and pave an innovative way to sustainable energy.

AB - Global warming and energy crises severely limit the ability of human civilization to develop along a sustainable path. Increasing renewable energy sources and decreasing energy consumption are fundamental steps to achieve sustainability. Technological innovations that allow energy-saving behaviour can support sustainable development pathways. Energy-saving fabrics with a superior cooling effect and satisfactory wearability properties provide a novel way of saving the energy used by indoor cooling systems. Here, we report the large-scale extrusion of uniform and continuous nanoporous polyethylene (nanoPE) microfibres with cotton-like softness for industrial fabric production. The nanopores embedded in the fibre effectively scatter visible light to make it opaque without compromising the mid-infrared transparency. Moreover, using industrial machines, the nanoPE microfibres are utilized to mass produce fabrics. Compared with commercial cotton fabric of the same thickness, the nanoPE fabric exhibits a great cooling power, lowering the human skin temperature by 2.3 °C, which corresponds to a greater than 20% saving on indoor cooling energy. Besides the superior cooling effect, the nanoPE fabric also displays impressive wearability and durability. As a result, nanoPE microfibres represent basic building blocks to revolutionize fabrics for human body cooling and pave an innovative way to sustainable energy.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85047136518&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85047136518&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1038/s41893-018-0023-2

DO - 10.1038/s41893-018-0023-2

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85047136518

SN - 2398-9629

VL - 1

SP - 105

EP - 112

JO - Nature Sustainability

JF - Nature Sustainability

IS - 2

ER -

Nanoporous polyethylene microfibres for large-scale radiative cooling fabric

Abstract

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Online availability

Library availability

Related links

Fingerprint

Cite this