Plant Pollen‐Derived Radiative Cooling: Eco‐Synthetic Designs with Integrated Air‐Gaps
Abstract To prevent global warming and an excessive energy footprint, sustainable and innovative solutions are essential. Radiative cooling presents a promising approach, traditionally relying on additives like TiO 2 , SiO 2 , and MgO to promote cooling but raising environmental concerns. Learning from nature, an alternative solution utilizing natural pollen grains, processed through a traditional soap‐making technique to produce a natural cooling paper is proposed. Introducing air‐gap structures to improve sunlight reflectivity and maintain infrared emittance, the approach demonstrates significant cooling effects—6.6 °C by day and 8.1 °C by night in South Korea—without reliance on external energy inputs. Eco‐synthetic design with integrated air‐gaps technology offers an efficient cooling strategy, but also advances environmental sustainability by eliminating the need for synthetic additives. Representing a leap toward eco‐friendly cooling, the approach emphasizes the potential of natural materials in addressing climate change challenges, aligning with the pursuit of sustainable development without an excessive energy footprint.
Authors
- Munho Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0379-1886)
- Jingyu Deng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2765-1906)
- Nam‐Joon Cho (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8692-8955)
- You Jin Kim
Institutions
- Nanyang Technological University (SG)
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SG)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Functional Materials
- Published
- 2025-07-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202511893
- Primary Topic
- Thermal Radiation and Cooling Technologies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Ministry of Education - Singapore