Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States); National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Boulder, CO (United States). Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute; University of Colorado Boulder
One of the grand current research challenges is to improve the energy efficiency of residential and commercial buildings, which cumulatively consume more than 40% of the energy generated globally. In addition to improving the comfort of the inhabitants and mitigating the growing energy consumption problem, new building materials and technologies could provide a safe strategy for geoengineering to mitigate global climate change. Herein, recent progress in developing such advanced materials from nanocellulose, which is often derived from wood or even dirty feedstocks like waste, is reviewed. By using chemical and bacteria-enabled processing, nanocellulose can be used to fabricate broadband photonic reflectors, thermally super-insulating aerogels, solar gain regulators, and low-emissivity coatings, with potential applications in windows, roofs, walls, and other components of buildings envelopes. These material developments draw inspiration from advanced energy management found in nature, such as the nanoporous photonic structures that evolved in cuticles of beetles. Fabrication of such materials takes advantage of mesoscale liquid crystalline self-assembly, which allows for pre-designed control of cellulose nanoparticle orientations at the mesoscale. Finally, with the potential fully realized, such materials could one day transform the current energy-lossy buildings into energy plants on Earth and possibly even enable extraterrestrial habitats.
Smalyukh, Ivan I.. "Thermal Management by Engineering the Alignment of Nanocellulose." Advanced Materials, vol. 33, no. 28, Jun. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202001228
Smalyukh, Ivan I. (2020). Thermal Management by Engineering the Alignment of Nanocellulose. Advanced Materials, 33(28). https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202001228
Smalyukh, Ivan I., "Thermal Management by Engineering the Alignment of Nanocellulose," Advanced Materials 33, no. 28 (2020), https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202001228
@article{osti_1830811,
author = {Smalyukh, Ivan I.},
title = {Thermal Management by Engineering the Alignment of Nanocellulose},
annote = {One of the grand current research challenges is to improve the energy efficiency of residential and commercial buildings, which cumulatively consume more than 40% of the energy generated globally. In addition to improving the comfort of the inhabitants and mitigating the growing energy consumption problem, new building materials and technologies could provide a safe strategy for geoengineering to mitigate global climate change. Herein, recent progress in developing such advanced materials from nanocellulose, which is often derived from wood or even dirty feedstocks like waste, is reviewed. By using chemical and bacteria-enabled processing, nanocellulose can be used to fabricate broadband photonic reflectors, thermally super-insulating aerogels, solar gain regulators, and low-emissivity coatings, with potential applications in windows, roofs, walls, and other components of buildings envelopes. These material developments draw inspiration from advanced energy management found in nature, such as the nanoporous photonic structures that evolved in cuticles of beetles. Fabrication of such materials takes advantage of mesoscale liquid crystalline self-assembly, which allows for pre-designed control of cellulose nanoparticle orientations at the mesoscale. Finally, with the potential fully realized, such materials could one day transform the current energy-lossy buildings into energy plants on Earth and possibly even enable extraterrestrial habitats.},
doi = {10.1002/adma.202001228},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1830811},
journal = {Advanced Materials},
issn = {ISSN 0935-9648},
number = {28},
volume = {33},
place = {United States},
publisher = {Wiley},
year = {2020},
month = {06}}