Biobased Boston Ivy‐Inspired Cryogel Integrating Radiative Cooling and Phase Change Energy Storage for Adaptive Thermal Regulation

ABSTRACT Boston ivy is a traditional plant for building heat management through shading and transpiration. Inspired by its “vine‐leaf” system, we design a bionic cryogel that functionalizes daytime cooling and nighttime thermal buffering, promoting sustainable and comfortable housing and living environments. The aligned channels mimic vine tendrils, delivering an ultralow radial thermal conductivity (0.035 W m −1 ·K −1 ), high solar reflectance (95.28%), and high infrared emissivity (97.04%). Embedded phase‐change materials (PCMs) present leaf‐like, functionalized structures that store excess solar energy during the daytime and release latent heat at night, achieving 6.2°C sub‐ambient cooling under sunlight. In darkness, the stored latent heat is released, keeping the cryogel 2.4°C above ambient and preventing nocturnal overcooling. This spatiotemporal synergy between daytime radiative cooling and nighttime heat release enables climate‐adaptive thermal management, reducing the urban heat buildup with no need for electricity consumption. Our bionic design shifts thermal regulation from passive adaptation to active thermal planning using low carbon footprint materials as proven by life cycle assessment (LCA), offering a more sustainable pathway for energy‐efficient buildings.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Science
Published
2026-10-15
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.78323
Primary Topic
Thermal Radiation and Cooling Technologies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Biobased Boston Ivy‐Inspired Cryogel Integrating Radiative Cooling and Phase Change Energy Storage for Adaptive Thermal Regulation

Erlantz Lizundia, Siqi Huan, Yi Chen Lu, Yang Liu et al.
Advanced Science
Thermal Radiation and Cooling Technologies
article

Biobased Boston Ivy‐Inspired Cryogel Integrating Radiative Cooling and Phase Change Energy Storage for Adaptive Thermal Regulation

Erlantz Lizundia, Siqi Huan, Yi Chen Lu, Yang Liu, Chengyu Wang, Zhiguo Li, Sining Huang
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Boston ivy is a traditional plant for building heat management through shading and transpiration. Inspired by its “vine‐leaf” system, we design a bionic cryogel that functionalizes daytime cooling and nighttime thermal buffering, promoting sustainable and comfortable housing and living environments. The aligned channels mimic vine tendrils, delivering an ultralow radial thermal conductivity (0.035 W m −1 ·K −1 ), high solar reflectance (95.28%), and high infrared emissivity (97.04%). Embedded phase‐change materials (PCMs) present leaf‐like, functionalized structures that store excess solar energy during the daytime and release latent heat at night, achieving 6.2°C sub‐ambient cooling under sunlight. In darkness, the stored latent heat is released, keeping the cryogel 2.4°C above ambient and preventing nocturnal overcooling. This spatiotemporal synergy between daytime radiative cooling and nighttime heat release enables climate‐adaptive thermal management, reducing the urban heat buildup with no need for electricity consumption. Our bionic design shifts thermal regulation from passive adaptation to active thermal planning using low carbon footprint materials as proven by life cycle assessment (LCA), offering a more sustainable pathway for energy‐efficient buildings.

Advanced Science
University of the Basque Country (ES), Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CN), Institute of Process Engineering (CN), Institute of Physics (CN), Northeast Forestry University (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Eusko Jaurlaritza, Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province
Affordable and clean energy, Climate action, Sustainable cities and communities
Openalex Percentile: Top 18%
Thermal Radiation and Cooling Technologies
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