- Li, Tian;
- Zhai, Yao;
- He, Shuaiming;
- Gan, Wentao;
- Wei, Zhiyuan;
- Heidarinejad, Mohammad;
- Dalgo, Daniel;
- Mi, Ruiyu;
- Zhao, Xinpeng;
- Song, Jianwei;
- Dai, Jiaqi;
- Chen, Chaoji;
- Aili, Ablimit;
- Vellore, Azhar;
- Martini, Ashlie;
- Yang, Ronggui;
- Srebric, Jelena;
- Yin, Xiaobo;
- Hu, Liangbing
Reducing human reliance on energy-inefficient cooling methods such as air conditioning would have a large impact on the global energy landscape. By a process of complete delignification and densification of wood, we developed a structural material with a mechanical strength of 404.3 megapascals, more than eight times that of natural wood. The cellulose nanofibers in our engineered material backscatter solar radiation and emit strongly in mid-infrared wavelengths, resulting in continuous subambient cooling during both day and night. We model the potential impact of our cooling wood and find energy savings between 20 and 60%, which is most pronounced in hot and dry climates.