Evaluation of radiative cooling textile performance in extreme thermal environments

Global warming and climate change have created an increase in energy consumption for heat mitigation and necessitates an energy efficient solution to alleviate the rise in atmospheric temperatures. Radiative cooling is a forthcoming solution for passive thermal regulation, with significant advances in recent years. However, the performance and application of radiative cooling materials in extreme thermal environments with elevated temperature gradients and heat stress have remained unexplored. This thesis presents a study of the integration of a passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC) coating onto high performance engineering materials (glass fiber, carbon fiber, and Kevlar). Experimentation demonstrated favorable optical, mechanical, and thermal properties, achieving exemplary solar reflectance (93% to 97%), emissivity (95% to 96%), and up to 8oC of daytime cooling in comparison with commercial cotton. The stress-strain curves of the textiles depicted reliable mechanical strength, and negligible degradation was observed after exposure to various environmental stressors including humidity, wind, and fire. The textiles also showed minimal functional loss after washing, implying high longevity for daily usage. Analytical modelling and experimental validation were utilized to understand the behavior of the textiles in environments with large heat sources such as fires. The findings of this study provide groundwork for diversification of the applicability of PDRC-coated textiles in both near ambient and extreme thermal conditions, including for protective gear, wearables, and infrastructural thermal systems.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Mechanical Engineering

Grantor

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2025

Author dc:creator

• Patel, Diya

Contributors dc:contributor

• Cai, Lili

• Radiative Cooling
• Wearables, High Performance Textiles
• Extreme Environments
• Heat Transfer

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2025 Diya Patel

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129321

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F129321