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Stabilization of 2D Water Films in Porous Triple‐Layer Membranes with a Hydrophilic Core: Cooling Textiles and Passive Evaporative Room Climate Control
Author(s) -
Stucki Mario,
Stark Wendelin J.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
advanced engineering materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.938
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 1527-2648
pISSN - 1438-1656
DOI - 10.1002/adem.201700134
Subject(s) - materials science , evaporative cooler , evaporation , wetting , coating , polymer , layer (electronics) , porosity , chemical engineering , porous medium , membrane , nanotechnology , composite material , meteorology , physics , engineering , biology , genetics
Cooling and climate control are among the largest energy consuming processes in the world. By introducing passive systems, the energy consumption can be shifted to more renewable sources like sunlight. Combining hydrophobic and hydrophilic polymeric matrices in fully porous flat sheet membranes affords a triple‐layer construct able of laterally transport water without energy input, while cooling and wetting the surrounding air by evaporation. In three subsequent coating steps, the material is assembled, the pore‐forming template is released, and the materials are tested on their behavior in a passive cooling application. The straightforward and simple way of combining polymers with opposing chemical properties in a fully porous manner offers a wide range of new applications.