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Nanocomposite Materials with Thermoregulation through Multiple Mechanisms, Usable in Multiple Climate Zones Across a Wide Temperature Range
Project status: Ongoing
EN / RO
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Contracting authority: Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation (UEFISCDI)

Currently, >40% of commercial energy use is directed for heating and cooling of buildings, driven by the requirement to maintain a tight temperature envelope for human comfort. Taking inspiration from capabilities of mirror comb-footed spider (Thwaitesia sp.) to adjust very fast its shape, color, and light reflection, this project proposes the development of an innovative biomimetic platform as thermoregulatory composite material. Thus the advantages of passive strategies for thermal comfort (low cost, straightforward implementation, and energy efficiency) will be brought together with the fast on-demand control capabilities of active strategies for thermal comfort. The data input from the commercial partner will help in the process of insight-driven product creation, and it will be applied for the development of a minimal viable product at laboratory scale in the form of a thermoregulatory clothing which can satisfy consumer demands for an extended range of temperatures. This product will expand the thermal envelope of the user by biomimetically tuning on demand the heat exchange through four different mechanisms (conductivity, convection, radiation and evaporation). The composite materials developed in this project will be based on silicone chemistry. The clothing made with such materials will regulate a heat flux of >100 W/m2, where the fast adjustment of the temperature envelope for the user will require only a transient mechanical power input for actuation.

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