Switchable kirigami structures as window envelopes for energy-efficient buildings

• Main Authors: Yin, Hanzhi, Zhou, Xishu, Zhou, Zhengui, Liu, Rong, Mo, Xiwei, Chen, Zewen, Yang, Erqi, Huang, Zhen, Li, Hao, Wu, Hao, Zhou, Jun, Long, Yi, Hu, Bin
• Other Authors: School of Materials Science and Engineering
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: Engineering::Materials; Conserve Energy; Cooling Mode
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/169621
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Efficient regulation of thermal radiation is an effective way to conserve energy consumption of buildings. Because windows are the least energy-efficient part of buildings, their thermal radiation regulation is highly demanded, especially in the changing environment, but is still a challenge. Here, by employing a kirigami structure, we design a variable-angle thermal reflector as a transparent envelope of windows for their thermal radiation modulation. The envelope can be easily switched between heating and cooling modes by loading different pre-stresses, which endow the envelope windows with the ability of temperature regulation, and the interior temperature of a building model can be reduced by ~3.3 °C under cooling mode and increased by ~3.9 °C under heating mode in the outdoor test. The improved thermal management of windows by the adaptive envelope provides an extra heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning energy savings percentage of 13% to 29% per year for buildings located in different climate zones around the world, making the kirigami envelope windows a promising way for energy-saving utilization.