Issue 92, 2021

Thermal management materials for energy-efficient and sustainable future buildings

Abstract

Thermal management plays a key role in improving the energy efficiency and sustainability of future building envelopes. Here, we focus on the materials perspective and discuss the fundamental needs, current status, and future opportunities for thermal management of buildings. First, we identify the primary considerations and evaluation criteria for high-performance thermal materials. Second, state-of-the-art thermal materials are reviewed, ranging from conventional thermal insulating fiberglass, mineral wool, cellulose, and foams, to aerogels and mesoporous structures, as well as multifunctional thermal management materials. Further, recent progress on passive regulation and thermal energy storage systems are discussed, including sensible heat storage, phase change materials, and radiative cooling. Moreover, we discuss the emerging materials systems with tunable thermal and other physical properties that could potentially enable dynamic and interactive thermal management solutions for future buildings. Finally, we discuss the recent progress in theory and computational design from first-principles atomistic theory, molecular dynamics, to multiscale simulations and machine learning. We expect the rational design that combines data-driven computation and multiscale experiments could bridge the materials properties from microscopic to macroscopic scales and provide new opportunities in improving energy efficiency and enabling adaptive implementation per customized demand for future buildings.

Graphical abstract: Thermal management materials for energy-efficient and sustainable future buildings

Article information

Article type
Feature Article
Submitted
29 sep 2021
Accepted
19 okt 2021
First published
19 okt 2021

Chem. Commun., 2021,57, 12236-12253

Author version available

Thermal management materials for energy-efficient and sustainable future buildings

Z. Qin, M. Li, J. Flohn and Y. Hu, Chem. Commun., 2021, 57, 12236 DOI: 10.1039/D1CC05486D

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