Pal SK, Jeong S, Otoufat T, Bae H, Kim G. Adaptive cooling strategy via human hair: High optothermal conversion efficiency of solar radiation into thermal dissipation.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024;
121:e2312297121. [PMID:
38236734 PMCID:
PMC10823228 DOI:
10.1073/pnas.2312297121]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Natural species have developed complex nanostructures in a hierarchical pattern to control the absorption, reflection, or transmission of desired solar and infrared wavelengths. This bio-inspired structure is a promising method to manipulating solar energy and thermal management. In particular, human hair is used in this article to highlight the optothermal properties of bio-inspired structures. This study investigated how melanin, an effective solar absorber, and the structural morphology of aligned domains of keratin polymer chains, leading to a significant increase in solar path length, which effectively scatter and absorb solar radiation across the hair structure, as well as enhance thermal ramifications from solar absorption by fitting its radiative wavelength to atmospheric transmittance for high-yield radiative cooling with realistic human body thermal emission.
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