Wood-based nanocomposite via <em>in-situ</em> formation of organic/inorganic hybrid porous polymer for robust superhydrophobicity and sustainable radiative cooling
Bio-based radiative cooling materials hold significant application potential in carbon-free passive cooling but suffer from performance loss due to dust accumulation and rainwater washing. Superhydrophobic surfaces can enhance self-cleaning and durability, yet poor abrasion resistance often compromises superhydrophobicity. Herein, we develop a wood-based nanocomposite by infiltrating a highly porous and low-surface-energy copolymer and SiO<sub>2</sub> nanoparticles into a delignified wood scaffold. The resulting nanocomposite achieved satisfactory radiative cooling performance, with a solar reflectance of 91.29% and infrared emissivity of 98.77%, yielding a sub-ambient cooling of 8.36 °C and potential energy savings of 32.27 MJ/m<sup>2</sup> in cooling energy consumption in China's hottest regions. Furthermore, even after rigorous environmental testing, including 3,000 abrasion cycles, water washing, and solvent immersion, the nanocomposite still maintained exceptional superhydrophobicity (contact angle > 160°, rolling angle < 4°). More importantly, the wood-based nanocomposite retained approximately 80% of its cooling capability after rigorous environmental testing. This work provides practical solutions to the two questions of inadequate abrasion resistance in bio-based superhydrophobic materials and poor long-term performance of bio-based radiative cooling materials, which is of great significance and value for the high-value application of bio-based functional materials.
Authors
- Dan Tian
- Yu Cai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8804-2616)
- Yijia Zhang
- Xiaorong Liu
- Youming Dong
- Jin Wang
- Yaqing Wu
- Miao Zheng
- Jianzhang Li
- Kaili Wang
- Chi Zhang
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nano Research
- Published
- 2026-02-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.26599/nr.2026.94908522
- Primary Topic
- Thermal Radiation and Cooling Technologies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Nanjing Forestry University
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- China Postdoctoral Science Foundation