White houses might not please the eyes that much, but they might just help save the planet. According to USA Today, Researchers at Purdue University have developed an ultra-white paint that is capable of reflecting 98.1 percent of solar radiation while outputting infrared heat efficiently. This has also earned it a Guinness World Record.
The paint leaves the surface cooler than the environment and it could also effectively replace air conditioning in some cases. The paint produces a cooling power of 10kW for a 1,000 square feet roof, or more than a typical house AC unit.
Better than the rest
It isn’t the first-of-its-kind paint, and there are paints that reflect heat. But none of them are capable of doing so for more than 90 percent, and also do not cool surfaces. The team didn’t have enough breathing space, either – an even whiter paint might have compromised it.
The trick was to make use of a high ratio barium sulfate, a compound that is commonly seen in cosmetics and photo paper, in varying particle sizes. The wider range of sizes helps scatter more of the light spectrum and thus reflect more sunlight.
It’s unclear how close this extremely white paint is to hitting the mainstream market, but the researchers are trying very hard to commercialize the concept. They’ve roped in a company to mass-produce and sell the paint, and have already filed patents.
Huge asset against climate change
If it lives up to its reputation, it could be a huge asset in the fight against climate change. It could reduce or completely eliminate the need of using air conditioners in some homes, especially in warm regions with ample sunlight. That could reduce emissions and power consumption, and might save people from spending money during hot summers.
Similarly, researchers from several Chinese universities developed a “metafabric” which is a textile-woven material with nanoparticles that reflects sunlight away from the wearer. It can keep the wearer cool even in extremely hot environments. Moreover, the researchers hope their invention will serve as an alternative to running air conditioning, which makes it worse for the environment.
