Hydrogen Bond-enabled Crack-free Colloidal Photonic Crystal towards Passive Daytime Cooling

Xiao-Qing Yu; Jia-Xin Hu; Hong-Yuan Zhao; Wei-Lin Wu; Ran Ding; Pei-Li Li; Zi-Rong Li; Su Chen

doi:10.1007/s10118-026-3827-y

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Hydrogen Bond-enabled Crack-free Colloidal Photonic Crystal towards Passive Daytime Cooling

RESEARCH ARTICLE | Updated：2026-10-23

- Hydrogen Bond-enabled Crack-free Colloidal Photonic Crystal towards Passive Daytime Cooling
- Chinese Journal of Polymer Science Vol. 44, Pages: 1-12(2026)
- Affiliations：
  
  a.College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Anhui Science and Technology University, Bengbu 233000, China
  b.Anhui Province Quartzs and Purification and Photovoltaic Glass Engineering Research Center, Chuzhou 233100, China
  c.State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 210009, China
- Author bio：
  
  13625541559@163.com (X.Q.Y.)
  lipl@ahstu.edu.cn (P.L.L.)
  lizr@ahstu.edu.cn (Z.R.L.)
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s10118-026-3827-y
  CLC：
- Received：09 July 2026，
  
  Accepted：28 July 2026，
  
  Online First：23 October 2026，
  
  Published：2026-09
- Accepted：
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Yu, X. Q.; Hu, J. X.; Zhao, H. Y.; Wu, W. L.; Ding, R.; Li, P. L.; Li, Z. R.; Chen, S. Hydrogen bond-enabled crack-free colloidal photonic crystal towards passive daytime cooling. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-026-3827-y

Xiao-Qing Yu, Jia-Xin Hu, Hong-Yuan Zhao, et al. Hydrogen Bond-enabled Crack-free Colloidal Photonic Crystal towards Passive Daytime Cooling[J/OL]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 441-12.
Yu, X. Q.; Hu, J. X.; Zhao, H. Y.; Wu, W. L.; Ding, R.; Li, P. L.; Li, Z. R.; Chen, S. Hydrogen bond-enabled crack-free colloidal photonic crystal towards passive daytime cooling. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-026-3827-y DOI：

Xiao-Qing Yu, Jia-Xin Hu, Hong-Yuan Zhao, et al. Hydrogen Bond-enabled Crack-free Colloidal Photonic Crystal towards Passive Daytime Cooling[J/OL]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 441-12. DOI： 10.1007/s10118-026-3827-y.

摘要

Abstract

Colloidal photonic crystals (CPCs) as self-assembled microstructured materials have emerged as promising platforms for structural coloration and passive daytime cooling (PDC). However

their practical application is severely hindered by cracking propensity

and the intractable trade-off between mechanical robustness and optical performance in large-area fabrication. Herein

we report a hydrogen bond-assisted self-assembly strategy to construct waterborne polyurethane (PU)-enhanced CPC coatings that synergistically integrate crack-free scalability

vivid angle-dependent structural color

excellent mechanical stability

and efficient PDC performance. Systematic optimization reveals that incorporating 3 wt% PU establishes a homogeneous hydrogen-bonding network between PU chains and carboxyl groups on colloidal particle surfaces. This hydrogen-bonding network effectively dissipates capillary stress during evaporation self-assembly to eliminate cracking while preserving the periodic lattice structure. The resultant PU-enhanced CPC (CPC/PU) coatings exhibit full visible-spectrum structural color tunability with retained iridescence

and achieve Class 2 adhesion. Mechanical evaluations confirm the CPC/

PU coatings withstand 100 fraction cycles

2-min water flushing

50 times bending cycles

and 6-day UV aging without structural failure and color fading. Optically

the CPC/PU coatings deliver 63% solar reflectance and 86% infrared emissivity within the atmospheric transparency window (8–13 μm)

enabling an 18.9 °C reduction in surface temperature compared to bare cement under 1000 W/m

simulated solar irradiance. Moreover

a maximum sub-ambient cooling of 6.6 °C under natural sunlight (average

solar

=538 W/m

) in outdoor field tests is achieved. The strategy offers a facile

sustainable route to multifunctional CPC coatings for decorative thermal management and building energy conservation.

关键词

Keywords

references

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