Who needs AC when we have super-white paint! Xiulin Ruan, a Purdue University professor of mechanical engineering along with his students has created the whitest paint that would replace the need for air conditioning as it can keep surfaces to 18 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than their surroundings just like a fridge does, but without consuming energy. The paint has now been listed in the Guinness World Records book as the whitest paint ever made. Why did the scientists create such paint? How this super-reflective paint is made ? How much does it cost and when can you buy it? Read SURFACES REPORTER (SR)’s complete report below to get answers to all these questions:
Also Read: You Can Reuse Almost Anything Nowadays: A Post Explaining the Importance of Reusing Waste Products
Purdue researchers Xiulin Ruan (left) and Joseph Peoples use an infrared camera to compare the cooling performance of white paint samples on a rooftop. (Purdue University photo/Jared Pike)
Though many countries with warmer climates have been using white paint for centuries to cool buildings from the heat, the buildings coated with this new paint may cool them off enough to negate the need for AC and minimize carbon emissions, as per the researchers. The whitest paint is the outcome of 6 years of intensive research. The researchers tested hundreds of different materials, narrowed them down to ten and tested about 50 different formulations for each material.
Why did the scientists create such paint?
The goal of the researchers was not to create a paint that could break the world record but that can curb global warming. “When we started this project about seven years ago, we had saving energy and fighting climate change in mind,” said Xiulin Ruan, a professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue, in a statement.
Where usual commercial white paint gets warmer while exposed to sunlight and could defect heat by 80% to 90%, this paint reflects up to 98.1% of sunlight and repels infrared heat, and thus it would help combat global warming.
The ultra-white paint is created in a lab at Purdue University that can lower or eliminate the need for air conditioning by absorbing nearly no solar energy and transmitting heat away from the building.
The regular rise in global temperatures biggest the demands for air conditioners worldwide.As per a report shared by the International Energy Agency, “Energy demand from air conditioners will triple by 2050 – equivalent to adding 10 new air conditioners every second for the next 30 years.” Hence, this new paint has come as a savior to mitigate the devastating consequences of climate change and global warming.
Also Read: Mycelium Can Be Part of the Solution to Carbon-Negative Buildings| SR Material Update
What makes this paint super reflective?
Unlike traditional paints that are made of calcium carbonate, the scientists created this paint using a chemical compound called barium sulphate, which makes it whiter. Barium sulfate is also used in the creation of photographic paper and cosmetics. Use of varied-sized particles of the compound assistant in making this paint more white and reflective.
“Your air conditioning kicks on mainly due to sunlight heating up the roof and walls and making the inside of your house feel warmer. This paint is basically creating free air conditioning by reflecting that sunlight and offsetting those heat gains from inside your house,” said Joseph Peoples, a Purdue Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering and a co-author of the work.
The paint can keep surfaces 19 degrees Fahrenheit (10.5C) cooler than the surrounding temperature at night just like a refrigerator does, but without consuming energy. Even during noon hours, when sunlight is extremely harsh, this paint can cool surfaces by 8° Fahrenheit (4.4C). Great isn’t it?
The researchers believe that this paint is more powerful than the Air conditiiners used in most of the houses. “Using this new paint to cover a roof area of about 1,000 square feet could result in a cooling power of 10 kilowatts,” said Ruan.
The scientists said the new white paint is so white it is almost equivalent to the blackest black, "Vantablack," which is able to absorb up to 99.9% of visible light.
What does it cost you?
The researchers at Purdue University said, “this paint would be both cheaper to produce than its commercial alternative and could save about a dollar per day that would have been spent on air conditioning for a one-story house of approximately 1,076 square feet.”
The scientists are also experimenting with several materials to develop other paint colours that could have cooling benefits.
When could you purchase it?
The paint will soon be sold to the public. A news release disseminated by the firm confirms that researchers at Purdue have teamed up with a company to put this ultra-white paint on the market. Read more about this paint here.
Earlier, UN Studio has also created the coolest white paint to protect buildings from excessive heat.
Info and image courtesy: https://stories.purdue.edu/
Keep reading SURFACES REPORTER for more such articles and stories.
Join us in SOCIAL MEDIA to stay updated
SR FACEBOOK | SR LINKEDIN | SR INSTAGRAM | SR YOUTUBE
Further, Subscribe to our magazine | Sign Up for the FREE Surfaces Reporter Magazine Newsletter
Also, check out Surfaces Reporter’s encouraging, exciting and educational WEBINARS here.
You may also like to read about:
Use of Recycled Materials in Architecture and Design
Innovative 3D Printer That Upcycles Sawdust and Other Wood Waste To Create Wonderful Products
Carbon Fibre Entwined With Bamboo -The Material of the Future | Kengo Kuma
And more…