Zero-carbon community (ZCC) is essential in addressing critical social and environmental challenges, particularly in reducing energy consumption, lowering carbon emissions, and decreasing reliance on fossil fuels. However, several issues are still unclear, including inconsistent definitions of ZCC, the lack of detailed policy analyses, and limited exploration of implementation challenges and solutions persist. This study addresses these gaps by conducting a comprehensive analysis of the drivers and barriers to ZCC development in China. It begins with a detailed review of the definitions of ZCC, comparing and contrasting them from both domestic and international perspectives. Then, it evaluates existing incentives, categorizes them into policy documents, laws, and standards while assessing their evolution and real-world applications. This study also presents case studies of exemplary ZCC, including the Beddington Community in the UK and the Zero Carbon Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo Park in China. These cases offer insights into practical approaches, societal impacts, and advanced practices, proposing a ZCC construction model tailored to China’s unique economic and policy environment. Furthermore, the study identifies key barriers to adopting ZCC in China and proposes targeted recommendations across five domains: administrative, economic, technological, socio-cultural, and environmental. A “macro-meso-micro” implementation pathway is developed, emphasizing stakeholder collaboration as a core element for successful execution. This study systematically reviews and critically analyzes current policies and practices related to ZCC, and offering valuable theoretical guidance for developing regulations and standards, along with practical solutions to address current implementation challenges.@en

3D C_f/SiC–Al composites were achieved through the pressure infiltration of liquid Al–Si alloy into porous 3D C_f/SiC preform, which was produced by different cycles of precursor infiltration and pyrolysis. The effect of silicon carbide volume fraction on the microstructure, anisotropic mechanical response, and thermophysical characteristics of the 3D C_f/SiC–Al composites was investigated. The results demonstrated that the initial microstructure of 3D C_f/SiC can be retained, and the obtained C_f/SiC–Al composites presented remarkable anisotropy characteristics. As the silicon carbide ceramics content increased from 12.5 vol% to 41.8 vol%, the thermal conductivity and thermal expansion coefficient of 3D C_f/SiC–Al composites decreased, whereas the bending strength initially increased and then decreased in the Z-direction. The bending strength perpendicular (Z) to the carbon cloth layer of 3D C_f/SiC–Al composites was higher than that of parallel (X–Y) to the carbon cloth layer. However, a significant anisotropy in the thermal conductivity values was the opposite. The 3D C_f/SiC–Al composite with 1ow ceramic content (17 vol%) had a higher thermal conductivity in the X–Y direction (64 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹) than in the Z-direction (34 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹). The thermal expansion coefficient of all the 3D C_f/SiC–Al composites along the X–Y direction also decreased initially and then increased in the range of 100–450 °C, which presents low expansion characteristics.

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