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 &gt; 160°, rolling angle &lt; 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.

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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

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article

Wood-based nanocomposite via in-situ formation of organic/inorganic hybrid porous polymer for robust superhydrophobicity and sustainable radiative cooling

Dan Tian, Yu Cai, Yijia Zhang, Xiaorong Liu et al.
Nano Research
Thermal Radiation and Cooling Technologies
article

Wood-based nanocomposite via in-situ formation of organic/inorganic hybrid porous polymer for robust superhydrophobicity and sustainable radiative cooling

Dan Tian, Yu Cai, Yijia Zhang, Xiaorong Liu, Youming Dong, Jin Wang, Yaqing Wu, Miao Zheng, Jianzhang Li, Kaili Wang, Chi Zhang
article en

Abstract

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 &gt; 160°, rolling angle &lt; 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.

Nano Research
Nanjing Forestry University, National Natural Science Foundation of China, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation
Responsible consumption and production
Openalex Percentile: Top 65%
Thermal Radiation and Cooling Technologies
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