By Mimi Martinez
Thermal management coatings are revolutionizing emerging technologies across sectors such as construction, fashion, and electronics. By enabling materials to regulate their own temperatures, these coatings create exciting opportunities to enhance energy efficiency and reduce reliance on external temperature control systems. One of the most notable innovations in this field is single-mode radiative cooling materials, which continuously radiate heat to create a cooling effect [i]. This unique ability helps reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions from traditional heating and cooling practices, making these materials ideal for use in products like walls, clothing, and electronics.
However, the main limitation of single-mode radiative cooling materials is their tendency to overcool, since they are designed to cool constantly. This challenge has sparked interest in self-adaptive thermal management solutions, which offer improved efficiency by adjusting to changing environmental conditions.
To address this, a self-adaptive dual-modal coating has been developed [ii]. Unlike other dual-mode materials that rely on external stimuli, such as light, heat, or electrical signals, this innovative coating uses microscopic structures that scatter light approaching its surface. In hot conditions, the coating demonstrates an impressive 92% solar reflectivity and 93% heat radiation. In cold conditions, it can alter its visible light properties by 60%, preventing overcooling and promoting thermal balance.
Made from eco-friendly materials, the coating includes bamboo nanocellulose, which is derived from bamboo cellulose found in the plant cell walls. This cellulose is broken down into nanoscale fibers that are strong, lightweight, and biodegradable, ideal for various applications. The coating is further enhanced with TMP (thermochromic micro-particles), which change color in response to temperature, allowing the material to switch between cooling and heating. This enables it to absorb solar heat when it's cold and reflect it when it's hot. Additionally, ACC (amorphous calcium carbonate) clusters are incorporated, providing extra scattering points to further improve the coating’s light scattering ability.
With its dual-mode design, the coating offers effective temperature regulation year-round, leading to significant energy savings. Its ability to scatter light in multiple stages and its long-term stability (over a month) make it an excellent candidate for large-scale, sustainable production of advanced thermal management materials.
[i] https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2023/ma/d2ma01000c
[ii] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-59259-3
