A utility and easily fabricated dual-mode fiber film for efficient and comfortable thermal management

Abstract

Nowadays, the global climate is constantly being destroyed and the fluctuations in ambient temperature are becoming more frequent. However, conventional single-mode thermal management strategies (heating or cooling) failed to resolve such dynamic temperature changes. Moreover, developing thermal management devices capable of accommodating these temperature variations while remaining simple to fabricate and durable has remained a formidable obstacle. To address these bottlenecks, we design and successfully fabricate a novel dual-mode hierarchical (DMH) composite film featuring a micro-nanofiber network structure, achieved through a straightforward two-step continuous electrospinning process. In cooling mode, it presents a high solar reflectivity of up to 97.7% and an excellent atmospheric transparent window (ATW) infrared emissivity of up to 98.9%. Noted that this DMH film could realize a cooling of 8.1 °C compared to the ambient temperature outdoors. In heating mode, it also exhibits a high solar absorptivity of 94.7% and heats up to 11.9 °C higher than black cotton fabric when utilized by individuals. In practical application scenarios, a seamless transition between efficient cooling and heating is achieved by simply flipping the film. More importantly, the DMH film combining the benefits of composites demonstrates portability, durability, and easy-cleaning, promising to achieve large-scale production and use of thermally managed textiles in the future. The energy savings offered by film applications provide a viable solution for the early realization of carbon neutrality.