High thermal buffer and radiative cooling sodium alginate-based Janus aerogel enables multi-scenario thermal management for firefighting clothing

Firefighting clothing is an indispensable protective equipment for firefighters performing rescue activities under extreme heat and fire conditions. However, few bio-based thermal management materials that provide thermal comfort to firefighters in different operational scenarios have been reported. Herein, we present a novel strategy to prepare Janus-type aerogels based on sodium alginate biological macromolecules, consisting of a SiO2 nanoparticle layer and a microencapsulated paraffin@SiO2 phase-change composite layer. A passive radiative cooling and thermal energy storage was integrated into a functional dual-mode material system. Results show that Janus-type aerogel to cool down by 11.5 °C on a hot summer day. Meanwhile, paraffin@SiO2 has a high melting enthalpy of 127.5 J g−1 that effectively buffers temperature rise during the phase-change process. This Janus-type aerogel has ultra-low heat insulation (0.042 W/(m·K)), it can delay approximately 76.6 s to reach second-degree burn time for skin at a radiant heat exposure of 18.4 kW m−2. The work provides an innovative way to develop bio-based thermal management materials, which could enable multi-scenario thermal management for firefighting clothing. [Display omitted] •A sodium alginate-based Janus aerogel was prepared to adapt multi-scenario thermal management.•The resultant Janus composite aerogel exhibits a high infrared emissivity (98.7 %).•The Janus aerogel exhibits efficient thermal buffer capability (127.5 J g−1).•Janus aerogel can extend the time of second-degree skin burns for 76.6 s.