Janus-Structured Polyimide Composite Nanofiber Membrane Enabling Integrated Radiative Cooling, Thermal-Shock Resistance, and Thermal Insulation for Efficient Thermal Management in Complex Environments

Abstract

The cold energy of the Universe can be harnessed through radiative cooling (RC) to achieve thermal comfort and energy conservation, representing a promising green thermal management strategy. However, most studies have focused on maximizing cooling power. The limitations of dynamic environmental changes in the RC performance have been overlooked. In this study, a Janus-structured polyimide composite nanofiber membrane was developed using electrospinning for efficient thermal management in various environments. The concept of mismatched charge transfer complexes was utilized to prepare fluorinated polyimides, which exhibit excellent RC performance and effectively address the issue of high solar absorption (average solar reflectance (

{\overline{R}}_{\text{solar}}

) = 96.2%; average mid-infrared emissivity (

{\overline{\epsilon }}_{\text{MIR}}

) = 89.7%). Moreover, lauric acid@fluorinated polyimide composite nanofibers with a core–shell structure were continuously deposited onto hollow polyimide nanofibers to construct a Janus-structured membrane that integrates RC, thermal shock resistance (melting enthalpy (ΔH_m) = 107.6 J g⁻¹ and crystallization enthalpy (ΔH_c) = 111.9 J g⁻¹), and thermal insulation. This structure exhibits excellent RC power (105.9 W m⁻²), temperature regulation ability (cooling of approximately 12.8 °C in summer and maintaining temperature for 2400 s without sunlight), and thermal insulation performance under complex weather changes. The thermal management mechanism and energy-saving principle of this structure in different environments were systematically summarized. Considering these advantages, this study provides design inspiration and theoretical support for the development of multifunctional integrated RC materials.

Graphic Abstract

Keywords

Polyimide / Thermal management / Phase change materials / Coaxial electrospinning

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Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China(22378253)

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Donghua University, Shanghai, China

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