Harnessing Thermal Radiation: from Thermal Management to Energy Harvesting

Date: 

Monday, June 3, 2024 - 3:30pm to 4:30pm

Location: 

ESB 1001

Speaker: 

Lili Cai

As population and living standards rise, energy demand has reached unprecedented levels that necessitate the development of more efficient energy technologies. Controlling thermal radiation offers a promising strategy for achieving passive cooling and heating without energy input. This approach can enhance human thermoregulation while reducing building energy consumption, thereby helping to combat the extreme weather conditions associated with climate change. In this talk, I will present my recent research on developing new material designs and scalable manufacturing methods to advance radiative cooling and radiative heating technologies. I will also highlight their potential applications through three examples demonstrated in our works: 1) self-cleaning daytime radiative cooling materials for buildings; 2) radiative cooling textiles with integrated sensing functions for smart wearables; and 3) integration with thermally regenerative electrochemical cycles for low-grade heat harvesting.

Event Type: 

Seminar