A Zero‐Energy, Zero‐Emission Air Conditioning Fabric

Abstract

High indoor humidity/temperature pose serious public health threat and hinder industrial productivity, thus adversely impairing the wellness and economy of the entire society. Traditional air conditioning systems for dehumidification and cooling involve significant energy consumption and have accelerated the greenhouse effect. Here, this work demonstrates an asymmetric bilayer cellulose‐based fabric that enables solar‐driven continuous indoor dehumidification, transpiration‐driven power generation, and passive radiative cooling using the same textile without any energy input. The multimode fabric (ABMTF) consists of a cellulose moisture absorption–evaporation layer (ADF) and a cellulose acetate (CA) radiation layer. The ABMTF exhibits a high moisture absorption capacity and water evaporation rate, which quickly reduces the indoor relative humidity (RH) to a comfortable level (40–60% RH) under 1 sun illumination. The evaporation‐driven continuous capillary flow generates a maximum open‐circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.82 V, and a power density (P) up to 1.13 µW cm−3. When a CA layer with high solar reflection and mid‐infrared (mid‐IR) emissivity faces outward, it realizes subambient cooling of ≈12 °C with average cooling power of ≈106 W m−2 at midday under radiation of 900 W m−2. This work brings a new perspective to develop the next‐generation, high performance environmentally friendly materials for sustainable moisture/thermal management and self‐powered applications.

Zero-energy switchable radiative cooler for enhanced building energy efficiency

“…Therefore, the 50 μm PE actuator was chosen for further study. We investigated the effects of different copper thicknesses (20,30,50, and 80 μm) on the bending performance, keeping the PE thickness constant at 50 μm. The copper layers were designated Cu20, Cu30, Cu50, and Cu80.…”

“…This modification regulates the radiative balance between the solar heat source (5800 K) and the cosmic deep space cold sink (3 K) 7 , 8 . Recently, diverse designs for high-performance radiative cooling have been introduced, such as multilayer photonic films, 9 – 11 insulating aerogels, 12 – 14 white paints, 15 – 17 wood, 18 , 19 textiles, 20 – 22 and particle-embedded polymers 23 – 25 These have been extensively applied in important areas, such as atmospheric water harvesting, 26 , 27 personal thermal management, 28 , 29 thermoelectric materials, 30 , 31 photovoltaic power generation, 32 , 33 and building energy conservation 34 , 35 …”

Self‐Contained Moisture Management and Evaporative Cooling Through 1D to 3D Hygroscopic All‐Polymer Composites

“…These textiles can efficiently diminish the humidity levels within the microenvironment encompassing the human body and the fabric, thereby reducing the impediments to sweat evaporation and facilitating efficient heat dissipation. [23][24][25][26] Conventional desiccants (i.e., silica gel, zeolite, hygroscopic salts and glycerin) generally exist in powder or liquid form, rendering them impractical for processing and necessitating substantial energy input during regeneration. [27,28] To address these limitations, a new approach involves integrating emerging desiccants (i.e., hygroscopic salts, metal-organic complex, metal−organic frameworks and covalent organic frameworks) into porous matrices, leading to the development of inorganic/organic hybrid desiccants.…”

“…These textiles can efficiently diminish the humidity levels within the microenvironment encompassing the human body and the fabric, thereby reducing the impediments to sweat evaporation and facilitating efficient heat dissipation. [ 23–26 ]…”

Nanoengineering Natural Leather for Dynamic Thermal Management and Electromagnetic Interference Shielding

“…[ 1 ] Noteworthy, unlike enclosed indoor spaces where the temperature is controlled by air conditioning, unpredictable outdoor weather can affect human metabolism or productive efficiency. [ 2 ] Textile‐based personal thermal management offers a promising solution to regulate body temperature, [ 3 ] with various heat transfer methods, such as heat radiation, [ 4–5 ] heat conduction, [ 6–8 ] moisture evaporation, [ 9 ] dual mode control, [ 10–11 ] and responsive thermoregulatory, [ 12 ] having been employed to achieve efficient heat management. [ 13–14 ] Among these methods, radiation‐controlled textiles are preferred for their low energy consumption, convenience, and environmental friendliness.…”