Scientists at Purdue University in the US have created an ultra-white paint formulation which reflects up to 98.1% of sunlight, Science Daily reports. It is hoped that buildings coated in the paint will remain cool enough to reduce the need for air conditioning, thus saving energy and reducing emissions.
Xiulin Ruan, a Purdue professor of mechanical engineering, said: “If you were to use this paint to cover a roof area of about 1,000 square feet, we estimate that you could get a cooling power of 10 kilowatts. That’s more powerful than the central air conditioners used by most houses.”
The standard commercial types of white paint get warmer rather than cooler, the article reports, and even paints developed to repel heat reflect only 80%-90% of sunlight, which isn’t enough to make the surface cooler than its surroundings. However, the new paint not only reflects over 98% of sunlight, but also sends infrared heat away from a surface.
The key features of the scientist’s new paint are a very high concentration of a chemical compound called barium sulfate, which is also used to make photo paper and cosmetic products white. The second factor is the variable sizes of the barium sulfate particles, which allows for a wider range colours and wavelengths of sunlight to be scattered.
The research team have also proved that the white paint has the greatest cooling powers of any paint ever made. They used high-accuracy temperature reading equipment called thermocouples, which demonstrated that when used outdoors, the paint can keep surfaces 19°F cooler than their ambient surroundings at night.
During the day in strong noontime sun, the paint could cool surfaces to 8°F below their surroundings. The BBC News website reports that the scientists are now working with a company to produce and sell the paint commercially, which will be available at a similar cost to paints already on the market.
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