A new meta-tin capable of keeping your body cool

A team of Chinese researchers announces that it has designed a meta-tussu capable of thinking enough solar heat to lower the temperature of the human body by around 4.8 ° C.The details of the study are published in the journal Science.

Protect yourself from heat

Three years ago, a study stressed that without a drastic reduction in our GHG emissions, no less than 75 % of humanity could be the victim of terrible and deadly heat waves at the end of the century.The results of a study recently published in the magazine Climate and Atmospheric Science also indicate that maximum temperatures could reach values above 56 ° C, or even exceed 60 ° C in certain very urbanized localities in North Africa and the Middle-East.

In short, you will understand, it will be hotter and warmer in the coming decades.If efforts must therefore be undertaken to tackle the source of global warming (greenhouse gas emissions of human origin), researchers also work on means allowing us to better face these extreme temperatures.

In this sense, a Chinese team recently developed a new material reflecting more solar light having the potential to keep the human body cool during the strong heat waves.

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Almost 5 ° C cooler on a carrier

This fabric consists of nanoparticles composite of titanium oxide and laminated polylactic acid with a thin layer of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).The goal is to reflect a maximum of light (visible, medium infrared and ultraviolet ranges).On paper, thinking about a large part of these wavelengths should also allow you to think about heat before it has a chance to be absorbed.

For this study, the researchers measured the temperature of their fabric in clear sky conditions in Guangzhou, China.They then compared this temperature to that of other common materials placed on a panel.“Under the peak of solar radiation between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm, the temperature of the meta-tuy was respectively 5.0 °, 6.8 °, 7.0 °, 5.8 ° and 10.2 ° C less than that of theCotton, spandex, silk muslin, flax, and naked skin simulators, ”explain the researchers.

As part of another test, a volunteer has lengthened under the direct sunlight for an hour while wearing a special vest made from the meta-tin on one side and a commercial cotton fabric ofthe other.Meanwhile, a thermal camera was responsible for measuring the temperature differences between the two tissues.After an hour, the gap was 3 ° C.Thermal sensors placed under the tissues have also underlined a more pronounced difference: approximately 4.8 ° C cooler for the meta-tussu.

Promising results

For researchers, this meta-tussu thus presents "effective radiative cooling performance while offering the necessary breathability and comfort comfort".

The team also maintains that this material is compatible with commercial sewing techniques and has mechanical properties comparable to those of commercial tissues (durability and resistance to water).It would also be inexpensive to produce, about 10 % more expensive than typical clothing fabrics.

However, it should be noted that these results only concerned subjects and fixed objects.It is also unknown how this material could behave with the addition of dyes.The latter could indeed affect its ability to reflect light.Additional research will therefore still be necessary, but this approach seems very promising.