Hydrophobic Radiative Cooling using Zein-Functionalized Polyvinyl Alcohol Nanofibers with Dielectric Nanoparticles.

ABSTRACT: Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is a promising material for radiative cooling owing to its high infrared emissivity and mechanical flexibility; however, its inherent hydrophilicity limits its practical applications, particularly in humid environments. In this study, a scalable and environmentally friendly approach is introduced to overcome this limitation by incorporating Zein-a hydrophobic protein derived from corn-into a PVA matrix in conjunction with aluminum oxide and silicon dioxide nanoparticles. The resulting composite nanofiber membrane, PZAS, exhibits significantly enhanced hydrophobicity, achieving an average water contact angle of 118.5° over 60 s, compared with ≈40° for pure PVA nanofibers. A high solar reflectance of 91.7% and strong infrared emissivity of 96.9% within the atmospheric

SUBMITTER: Jeong M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12614153 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature