Dynamic Infrared Regulation and Passive Radiative Cooling of Electrospun Fabrics

Abstract

Global warming and rapid urbanization have exacerbated extreme heat waves and urban heat island effects, posing severe threats to ecological stability and human well-being. Traditional thermal regulation materials generally suffer from inferior environmental adaptability and insufficient dynamic thermal modulation capability, restricting their practical deployment. Herein, inspired by Rayleigh scattering theory, we report the fabrication of polyamide 6/cetyltrimethylammonium bromide composite fibrous membranes via a modified electrospinning technique. The diameter of electrospun nanoyarns is precisely controlled at approximately 200 nm, which effectively suppresses infrared scattering loss and optimizes the infrared radiative performance of the materials. Within the atmospheric transparent window of 8–14 μm, the resultant composite fabrics exhibit an infrared transmittance enhancement of ∼40%. At thermal equilibrium conditions, the as-prepared materials deliver outstanding passive radiative cooling performance, achieving a temperature reduction of nearly 15 °C. This work presents a feasible strategy for the rational design of high-performance adaptive thermal management textiles. It also offers promising perspectives for mitigating extreme heat hazards and developing urban thermal regulation systems.