Dynamic Radiative Thermoregulation for Human-Building-Energy Nexus

The human body strives to maintain the body temperature for proper physiological functions. The invention of heating and air conditioning drastically increases humans’ adaptability to thermal environments, but it also results in significant energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Radiative thermoregulation has immense untapped potential in expanding the controllable heat transfer pathways and tunable range that can benefit both personal thermal comfort and building energy efficiency in a wide variety of climate zones and user conditions. In this talk, I will introduce our recent work in dynamic thermoregulation for both human body and building envelope. The triggers can be mechanical force, moisture-swelling, and electrochemical potentials, each with unique multiphysics design principles and advantages.