Stepless IR Chromism in Ti C T MXene Tuned by Interlayer Water Molecules.

Real-time control over infrared (IR) radiation of objects is highly desired in a variety of areas such as personal thermal regulation and IR camouflage. This requires the dynamic modulation of IR emissivity in a stepless manner over a wide range (>50%), which remains a daunting challenge. Here, an emissivity modulation phenomenon is reported in stacked 2D Ti C T MXene nanosheets, from 12% to 68% as the intercalation/discharging of water molecules within the interlayers.

Shear-Enhanced Ion Rejection during Seawater Freezing.

Ion rejection during seawater freezing is the basis for freeze desalination. A high ion rejection rate is desired for improving the performance of freeze desalination. In this work, we propose a method to enhance the ion rejection rate through external shear, which is demonstrated through molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and experiments.

A Janus Textile Capable of Radiative Subambient Cooling and Warming for Multi-Scenario Personal Thermal Management.

Textiles with radiative cooling/warming capabilities provide a green and effective solution to personal thermal comfort in different climate scenarios. However, developing multiple-mode textiles for wearing in changing climates with large temperature variation remains a challenge. Here a Janus textile is reported, comprising a polyethersulfone (PES)-Al O cooling layer optically coupled with a Ti C T warming layer, which can realize sub-ambient radiative cooling, solar warming, and active Joule heating.

Reversible bipolar thermopower of ionic thermoelectric polymer composite for cyclic energy generation.

The giant thermopower of ionic thermoelectric materials has attracted great attention for waste-heat recovery technologies. However, generating cyclic power by ionic thermoelectric modules remains challenging, since the ions cannot travel across the electrode interface. Here, we reported a reversible bipolar thermopower (+20.

Uncooled self-powered hemispherical biomimetic pit organ for mid- to long-infrared imaging.

Infrared vision is highly desirable for applications in multifarious fields. Of the few species with this visual capability, snakes have exceptional infrared perception with the assistance of pit organs. Inspired by the pit organ design we present here a hemispherical biomimetic infrared imaging device.

All-weather thermochromic windows for synchronous solar and thermal radiation regulation.

Adaptive control of solar and thermal radiation through windows is of pivotal importance for building energy saving. However, such synchronous passive regulations are challenging to be integrated into one thermochromic window. Here, we develop a solar and thermal regulatory (STR) window by integrating poly(-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAm) and silver nanowires (AgNWs) into pNIPAm/AgNW composites.

A Solution-Processed Inorganic Emitter with High Spectral Selectivity for Efficient Subambient Radiative Cooling in Hot Humid Climates.

Daytime radiative cooling provides an eco-friendly solution to space cooling with zero energy consumption. Despite significant advances, most state-of-the-art radiative coolers show broadband infrared emission with low spectral selectivity, which limits their cooling temperatures, especially in hot humid regions. Here, an all-inorganic narrowband emitter comprising a solution-derived SiO N layer sandwiched between a reflective substrate and a self-assembly monolayer of SiO microspheres is reported.

Selectively tuning ionic thermopower in all-solid-state flexible polymer composites for thermal sensing.

There has been increasing interest in the emerging ionic thermoelectric materials with huge ionic thermopower. However, it's challenging to selectively tune the thermopower of all-solid-state polymer materials because the transportation of ions in all-solid-state polymers is much more complex than those of liquid-dominated gels. Herein, this work provides all-solid-state polymer materials with a wide tunable thermopower range (+20~-6 mV K), which is different from previously reported gels.

Giant and bidirectionally tunable thermopower in nonaqueous ionogels enabled by selective ion doping.

Ionic thermoelectrics show great potential in thermal sensing owing to their ultrahigh thermopower, low cost, and ease in production. However, the lack of effective n-type ionic thermoelectric materials seriously hinders their applications. Here, we report giant and bidirectionally tunable thermopowers within an ultrawide range from −15 to +17 mV K in solid ionic liquid–based ionogels.