New paint coating reflects sunlight & heat

[ahhming]

The team of researchers developed an ultrathin, multilayered, nanophotonic material that is capable of reflecting the sun’s heat away from buildings in order to cool it, while also directing internal heat from inside the building to the outside to effect a natural cooling system. Just like a mirror would reflect sunlight, the paint coating reflects away sunlight heat and draws a building’s interior heat outside. The building is cooled, and the planet is also cooled.

 

The researchers have called the system a “photonic radiative cooling”, and they achieved the breakthrough with a coating that is made up of silicon dioxide (SiO2) and hafnium dioxide (HfO2) – set on a thin layer of silver. These materials are then arranged into seven layers that is 1.8 microns thick which is actually thinner than aluminum foil – and with the ingenuity of the scientists, this material has the ability to reflect sunlight and also conduct infrared rays.

 

Actual tests prove that the coating is capable of reflecting away 97% of incoming sunlight and when this is combined with the photonic radiative cooling system, then the material becomes cooler than the surrounding air by about 9oF or 5oC.

 

Source:

http://thewestsidestory.net/2014/11/27/21916/stanford-scientists-develop-paint-coating-reflects-sunlight-cools-planet/

 

More read:

http://phys.org/news/2014-11-cool-high-tech-mirror-space.html

[Zeke]

Now we only need to figure out a way how to apply this directly on humans and sunblock manufacturers are done.

[Tech_Dreamer]

Linus should use this paint for the upper body paint goal reach, He'll be the coolest techie around.. :lol:

[That Norwegian Guy]

That is pretty neat. Would also be interesting to see a reversed version for polar climates.

[Lord Baal]

Now just to incorporate it into automotive paint and I'm sold.  

[StingBull]

Coat the the arctic ice with this = Global warming solved.

[ManWithBeard1990]

So we've invented white paint, right?

[LukaP]

So we've invented white paint, right?

some REALLY reflective white paint... even tho we have mirrors that reflect 99.8% but you cant paint people with them

[ManWithBeard1990]

some REALLY reflective white paint... even tho we have mirrors that reflect 99.8% but you cant paint people with them

I was kidding. I understand what's going on. What they're doing is in essence creating a coating that reflects visible light, but can still radiate the thermal radiation.

[LukaP]

I was kidding. I understand what's going on. What they're doing is in essence creating a coating that reflects visible light, but can still radiate the thermal radiation.

it also reflects IR and UV light (i speculate) and that is why it doesnt get heated, but it has no objection to radiating heat in the shape of UV and IR rays (mostly IR, since its really not that hot)

[ManWithBeard1990]

it also reflects IR and UV light (i speculate) and that is why it doesnt get heated, but it has no objection to radiating heat in the shape of UV and IR rays (mostly IR, since its really not that hot)

Hmm... I think the nature of blackbody radiation is such that you cannot both fully reflect and radiate IR. That would violate the rules of thermodynamics. What I think is happening here is it takes advantage of the fact that almost all of the energy that can be radiated is IR and quite a lot of what would otherwise be absorbed is in the shorter, visible wavelengths. The coating must have been formulated to have a very low albedo in the IR wavelengths, and very high in the shorter wavelengths.

[LukaP]

Hmm... I think the nature of blackbody radiation is such that you cannot both fully reflect and radiate IR. That would violate the rules of thermodynamics. What I think is happening here is it takes advantage of the fact that almost all of the energy that can be radiated is IR and quite a lot of what would otherwise be absorbed is in the shorter, visible wavelengths. The coating must have been formulated to have a very low albedo in the IR wavelengths, and very high in the shorter wavelengths.

that is possible. im not an expert in thermodynamics (honestly, ive only learned enough of it to pass an exam) but it could be that

[SpaghettiCarbonara]

Coat the the arctic ice with this = Global warming solved.

 

"Global warming" was never the issue, climate change is. Some parts of the world are getting hotter while others are getting colder...

 

And mind you, coating the arctic ice with it would be kind of useless since the snow reflects most heat and radiation anyway.

[OlekKing]

Coat the the arctic ice with this = Global warming solved.

 

[marc23]

You're a fucking genius.

[flibberdipper]

Sweet. Let me cover my yard in this shit.

[Tungsten_Hue]

Follow me on this, anyone remember the solar sail spacecraft designs? I imagine coating the sail with a substance like this would probably increase its efficiency. ie, reflecting short wavelength light and ejecting IR light?

 

Thoughts?

[Bensemus]

"Global warming" was never the issue, climate change is. Some parts of the world are getting hotter while others are getting colder...

 

And mind you, coating the arctic ice with it would be kind of useless since the snow reflects most heat and radiation anyway.

Parts are getting colder while others are getting hotter is true but the planet as a whole is getting hotter ergo global warming.

[jtai117]

@LinusTech should paint the new office in this so he doesn't have to buy air-conditioning