Dual-Mode Phase-Change Fabrics with Simultaneous Enhancement of Radiative Cooling and Heating for All-Weather Thermal Regulation

Abstract

The increasing frequency of extreme weather events underscores the need for thermal management materials that enable energy-free temperature regulation across diverse environments. Phase-change materials offer effective thermal buffering through latent heat storage, but often suffer from leakage and limited adaptability when incorporated directly into fabrics. Here, we report a continuous electrospinning strategy to fabricate a Janus phase-change fabric that achieves simultaneous enhancement of radiative cooling and heating. The design integrates a radiative cooling layer, a phase-change layer, and a radiative heating layer, forming a dual-mode architecture with switchable thermal functionality. The phase-change layer exhibits a high latent heat of 137.7 J/g and reflectivity of 93.5%, contributing to an overall solar reflectivity of 95.1% on the cooling side and solar absorption of 88.5% on the heating side. These properties enable a cooling power of 119.0 W/m² and a temperature rise of up to 18.5 °C above ambient. This synergistic integration of optical modulation and phase-change buffering provides a scalable and general approach for energy-free, all-weather thermal regulation, advancing the development of next-generation intelligent textiles.

Keywords

Phase change / Simultaneous enhancement / Passive radiative cooling / Passive radiative heating / Thermal management

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Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China(52473033)

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Donghua University, Shanghai, China