Mechanically Robust Ceramic Aerogels for Radiative Cooling and Thermal Insulation

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Authors: Meng He, Xiangyu Liu, Pengli Li, C Wang, Zhantao Pei, Kunming Shi, Fei Liu, Jie Chen, Xingyi Huang
Cited by: 4
References: 48

Abstract

ABSTRACT Cooling and heating consume about half of global energy and result in various environmental problems. Radiative cooling and thermal insulation can reduce energy consumption, yet the existing materials that integrate both properties have limitations in working temperature range and mechanical robustness. Herein, we report a flexible and ultralow‐density HfO 2 ‐ZrO 2 ‐SiO 2 ceramic aerogel fabricated via a modified electrospinning method, which synergistically integrates radiative cooling, thermal insulation, mechanical robustness, and an ultrawide temperature range. It achieves high solar reflectance (98.0%) and high infrared emittance (98.4%) for daytime radiative cooling, along with ultralow thermal conductivity (24.7 mW m −1 K −1 at 2.58 mg cm −3 ), enabling 24‐hour thermal insulation. It also exhibits excellent mechanical properties at 7.50 mg cm −3 , including 245 kPa tensile strength, 1.47 MPa compressive strength, and 182 kPa bending strength, along with an ultrawide working temperature range from −196°C to 1300°C. Moreover, in lunar environment simulation experiments, our aerogel achieves ∼50.0°C cooling below ambient during the day and ∼37.5°C thermal retention above ambient at night, successfully maintaining electronics above −16.7°C in an ambient temperature of −183°C. This work provides a mechanically robust ceramic aerogel solution for low‐energy consumption, 24‐hour thermal management in aerospace, deep‐space exploration, and high‐precision instruments.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Thermal Radiation and Cooling Technologies Aerogels and thermal insulation Radiative Heat Transfer Studies

Publication details

Journal / source
Advanced Materials
Publisher
Wiley
Volume
38
Issue
42
Pages
e73810–e73810
Publication date
23 June 2026
Language
EN