Electrostatic spinning packaging for food temperature management—phase change energy storage and radiative cooling characteristics

Abstract Temperature is a critical factor affecting food quality and shelf life, with incalculable food waste and economic losses occurring annually due to improper temperature control. Cold chain transportation is an important means of protecting temperature-sensitive foods, but it is often unregulated at both the retail and consumer ends. Simultaneously, the significant energy consumption of the cold chain must be addressed. By optimizing the energy-temperature balance and reducing implementation complexity, current resource waste in the supply chain can be converted into significant economic value. In this study, we developed an electrostatically spun package for food temperature management, in which fatty acid eutectic microcapsules were doped into poly(vinyl alcohol) fibers to achieve a synergistic effect of radiative refrigeration and phase-change energy storage. The film exhibits a combined solar reflectance of 87.8%, while the first and second atmospheric windows demonstrate high emissivities of 95.5% and 95.2% respectively. Additionally, the latent heat of phase transition measures at 54.934 J/g. Using blueberries as an example, we demonstrated that this material could significantly counteract the negative effects of temperature and light, potentially providing temperature management for food products throughout the sales process without additional energy input. During the simulation test, the film demonstrated a remarkable temperature reduction of up to 24.7 ℃ compared to commercial plastic wrap, thus making a significant contribution to maintaining the stability of blueberry storage temperature. This work presents a promising approach for producing scalable, low-cost, and environmentally friendly temperature-controlled packaging and a paradigm for future research on food temperature control. Graphical Abstract