Strong, robust cellulose composite film for efficient light management in energy efficient building

• DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2021.131469
• Publication Date: 2021-08-08T04:57:55Z
• Authors: Haodong Sun; Yang Liu; Xuefang Guo; Kaizhu Zeng; Ajoy Kanti Mondal; Jianguo Li; Yonggang Yao; Lihui Chen
• Keywords: 13. Climate action; 11. Sustainability; 02 engineering and technology; 0210 nano-technology; 7. Clean energy; 12. Responsible consumption

Abstract Energy-saving materials in buildings enable meaningful reduction of indoor energy consumption and are critical to develop a carbon-neutrality society. Accordingly, lighting in modern buildings should be properly managed toward energy-efficient buildings. Here, we developed a broadband light-management cellulose composite film, composed of 75 wt% cellulose bonded by phenol formaldehyde resin, which shows a high transparency (~86%) and haze (~90%) for effective light propagating and scattering, and more importantly, a superior anti-ultraviolet capability (~83% absorptance and ~17% reflectance), thus enabling a soft, uniform, large areal, and safe illumination of the sunlight in buildings toward a comfortable, healthy yet energy-saving environment. In addition, our cellulose composite film features a strong mechanical strength (140 MPa tensile strength) and superior robustness (e.g., high hydro-stability with a high wet strength of 135 MPa, thermal stability and fire-resistance ability, as well as excellent impact absroption capacity), proving its durability for long-term indoor or outdoor applications. The cellulose composite film is synthesized by a simple and scalable calendaring-like process which can be fully compatible with current paper-making industry. These integrated merits of our cellulose composite film make a promising candidate for energy efficient building applications toward a sustainable society.