A bioinspired approach for adaptive solid-solid phase change material coatings with optimized surface features for passive thermal regulation

Bousselham, Rajae; Xiao, Zhiying; Tao, Mingjiang; Granados-Focil, Sergio; Hera, Adriana; Van Dessel, Steven

doi:10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114000

A bioinspired approach for adaptive solid-solid phase change material coatings with optimized surface features for passive thermal regulation

Journal Article · Wed Oct 14 00:00:00 EDT 2026 · Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2025.114000· OSTI ID:3013277

^[1]; ^[2]; Tao, Mingjiang ^[1]; Granados-Focil, Sergio ^[3]; ^[1]; Van Dessel, Steven ^[1]

Worcester Polytechnic Institute, MA (United States)
Worcester Polytechnic Institute, MA (United States); National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Clark Univ., Worcester, MA (United States)

The necessity to reduce global energy consumption calls for innovative strategies in building thermal management. Passive thermal regulation, particularly through bio-inspired designs, offers a promising avenue by mimicking nature's efficient control of optical properties. This research introduces a novel, climate-responsive coating that integrates optimized bio-inspired surface features with a solid-solid phase change material (SS-PCM) to dynamically manage solar absorptivity without adding additional thickness, enabling both heating and cooling as needed. Drawing on the photonic architectures of the Saharan silver ant and Morpho Didius butterfly, we employed a modeling and multi-objective optimization framework to tailor these surface features. Simulations reveal that surface texture, rather than the intrinsic phase transition of the SS PCM, dominates optical control. Relative to a flat SS PCM coating, optimized isotropic random roughness and broader range features yielded the highest passive heating power increase of about 144 % and 319 % respectively suitable for cold climates. Saharan ant-inspired features enhanced passive cooling for hot climates, achieving a 21.8 % improvement. For moderate climates, Butterfly-wing-inspired surface features provided a balanced enhancement of 19 % for heating and 7 % for cooling. Across all cases, the optimized surface features reduced combined heating and cooling energy demand more effectively than the baseline coating, while preserving material thickness. These findings demonstrate that climate-adaptive, optimized bio-inspired surface features can unlock the full potential of SS PCM coatings, providing a versatile pathway to significant energy savings in buildings and other applications. The methodology establishes a framework for designing next-generation adaptive envelopes that leverage natural photonic principles for high-impact, low-cost thermal regulation.

Research Organization:: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Energy Efficiency Office. Building Technologies Office

Grant/Contract Number:: AC36-08GO28308

Other Award/Contract Number:: CMMI-1662903
CMMI-1662675

OSTI ID:: 3013277

Report Number(s):: NREL/JA--5500-95070

Journal Information:: Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Journal Name: Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells Vol. 295; ISSN 0927-0248

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
biologically inspired
optimization
passive heating
passive radiative cooling
phase change materials
surface features

A bioinspired approach for adaptive solid-solid phase change material coatings with optimized surface features for passive thermal regulation

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