J. Mater. Sci. Technol. ›› 2026, Vol. 260: 124-135.DOI: 10.1016/j.jmst.2025.09.058

• Research Article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

The best of both worlds—a flexible composite film with hierarchical porous structure for sustainable energy harvesting and passive radiative cooling

Bai Yagenga, Xie Longb, Gu Yuxuana, Chen Ruic, Mu Jianxina,*   

  1. aKey Laboratory of High-Performance Plastics, Ministry of Education, National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Synthesis Technology of High Performance Polymer, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China;
    bCollege of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Institute of Biomass & Functional Materials, Shaanxi University of Science & Technology, Xi’an 710021, China;
    cLight Industry and Chemical Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
  • Received:2025-06-30 Revised:2025-09-26 Accepted:2025-09-28 Published:2026-07-20 Online:2025-10-13
  • Contact: *E-mail address: Jianxin_mu@jlu.edu.cn (J. Mu)

Abstract: The accelerating pace of global warming critically undermines thermal comfort during elevated temperatures. Although cooling technologies are widely accessible, their use unavoidably escalates energy consumption and exacerbates the greenhouse effect. Passive radiative cooling (PRC), a zero-energy cooling technology, represents a vital strategy for advancing sustainable development. This study successfully fabricated a flexible FPEEK/PVDF-HFP/SiO2 composite film (FPS film) that integrates PRC with energy harvesting by employing phase transition techniques in conjunction with micro/nanoengineering. Due to its precisely engineered architecture and carefully selected constituent materials, the FPS film demonstrated a high solar reflectance of 97.36 % (0.25-2.5 µm) and a strong atmospheric window emissivity of 93.04 % (8-13 µm), achieving theoretical net cooling powers (Pnet) of 78.7 W m-2 during daytime conditions and 119.0 W m-2 at night. Both experimental evaluations and simulation analyses validated that the FPS film exhibited remarkable radiative cooling performance in architectural and transportation applications. Notably, the FPS film demonstrated efficient energy harvesting in hydrophobic triboelectric nanogenerators, reaching a peak power density of 525.3 mW m-2, broadening its practical application scope. This study provides significant insights into the design and fabrication of next-generation integrated materials for radiative cooling and energy harvesting, thereby supporting efforts toward achieving carbon neutrality.

Key words: Passive radiative cooling, Composite film, Micro/nanoengineering, Structural design, Energy harvesting