A Highly Efficient Hybrid Cooler with Radiative and Phase Change Cooling for Advanced Thermal Energy Storage and Regulation of Electronics

Abstract

Efficient thermal energy storage is vital for buffering intermittent solar heat and transient thermal loads. Traditional single-mode passive cooling methods may be insufficient for managing devices subjected to high heat flux conditions. Herein, we developed a hybrid radiative and phase change cooling (RPC) film using uniaxial electrospinning and microencapsulation. The RPC exhibits a high phase change enthalpy of 108.64 J·g–1 and an ideal thermal conductivity of 0.506 W·m–1·K–1. Performance testing demonstrates that at 500 W·m–2, the RPC provided a maximum transient temperature drop of 6.8 °C during the phase change process and stably reduced the steady-state device temperature by 4.5 °C, maintaining it within a safe temperature (about 45 °C). Under 800 W·m–2 thermal shock, the system achieved a peak temperature drop of 9.4 °C. Furthermore, the synergistic effect of radiative and phase change cooling yields an average 8.3 °C temperature difference under strong solar radiation. These results highlight the potential of RPC for reliable, high-performance thermal management in dynamic environments.