High-Throughput Electrospinning System| Challenges to materials for local glacier conservation

Professor Zhu Jia's Team (Nanjing University) Nature Water: Challenges in Glacier Protection Materials

Challenge: With global warming, glaciers (especially small ones) have become increasingly sensitive to climate change and are rapidly melting. Glacier protection is now urgent.

Approach: Professor Zhu Jia and Associate Professor Zhu Bin published a perspective article analyzing challenges and essential properties of glacier protection materials, while evaluating the potential of radiative cooling technology for this application.

Innovation 1: Proposed industrial electrospinning to fabricate cellulose acetate (CA)-based passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC) materials with precisely tuned micro/nanostructures for high solar reflectance (R_Solar).

Innovation 2: CA-based PDRC materials with optimized microstructure achieved superhydrophobicity (water contact angle: 148.6°), outperforming traditional materials like PET and PP.

Innovation 3: Glacier protection materials require spectral properties, superhydrophobicity, and mechanical resilience. For example, puncture-resistant layers can be incorporated into CA-based PDRC designs to ensure long-term durability in harsh, debris-filled environments.

Innovation 4: CA-based PDRC materials use plant-derived raw materials, offering excellent biodegradability. Roll-to-roll industrial electrospinning enables scalable production, combining environmental benefits with high efficiency.