Structural engineering of hierarchical aerogel-infused wood for synergistic daytime radiative cooling and fire safety

作者：Mingjie Guo, Yu Pan, Yao Yuan, Lulu Xu, Yong Zhang, Siyi Xu, Dihua Wu, Dong Zhang, Suling Zhang, Ting Lü, Hang Zhao, Wei Wang · 发表于：Chemical Engineering Journal · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.1016/j.cej.2026.176170 · 被引用次数：4 · 研究领域：Thermal Radiation and Cooling Technologies、Radiative Heat Transfer Studies、Flame retardant materials and properties

The building sector faces dual challenges of high cooling energy consumption and significant fire risks from conventional construction materials. To tackle these challenges, the present research devises an innovative wood-derived composite that simultaneously provides exceptional passive daytime radiative cooling and enhanced fire safety. The material is fabricated via a two-stage fabrication procedure: delignifying natural wood so as to construct a porous framework with inherent light-scattering properties, followed by infiltrating it with a functional mixture of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), ammonium polyphosphate (APP), and silica (SiO₂) microspheres thereby forming a structurally integrated aerogel-mimicking structure within the wood's microchannels. The final composite demonstrates outstanding optical characteristics, achieving 89% solar reflectance and 97% thermal emissivity within the atmospheric transmission window (spanning 8–13 μm). These properties enable sub-ambient cooling, achieving a maximum 15.6 °C temperature reduction relative to pristine natural wood under direct solar irradiation. In terms of fire safety, the composite attains a UL-94 V-0 classification, demonstrating self-quenching properties and significantly reduced heat release rate during combustion. This multifunctionality arises from synergistic component contributions: the delignified wood provides a reflective and insulating base, SiO₂ microspheres enhance solar scattering, and the PVA-based matrix imp...