https://newatlas.com/materials/ultra-white-ceramic-cools-buildings-record-high-reflectivity/ * SUBSCRIBE AD-FREE * LOG IN * HOME * LIFESTYLE + Health & Wellbeing + Outdoors + Tiny Houses + Architecture + Around the Home + Good Thinking + Holiday Destinations + View all LIFESTYLE categories + Health & Wellbeing + Outdoors + Tiny Houses + Architecture + Around the Home + Good Thinking + Holiday Destinations + View all LIFESTYLE categories * SCIENCE + Energy + Medical + Space + Materials + Biology + Environment + Physics + View all SCIENCE categories + Energy + Medical + Space + Materials + Biology + Environment + Physics + View all SCIENCE categories * TECHNOLOGY + Photography + Military + Mobile Technology + Games + Drones + Home Entertainment + Deals + View all TECHNOLOGY categories + Photography + Military + Mobile Technology + Games + Drones + Home Entertainment + Deals + View all TECHNOLOGY categories * TRANSPORT + Automotive + Aircraft + Bicycles + Motorcycles + Marine + Urban Transport + View all TRANSPORT categories + Automotive + Aircraft + Bicycles + Motorcycles + Marine + Urban Transport + View all TRANSPORT categories (c) 2023 New Atlas New Atlas logo Menu * HOME * LIFESTYLE + Health & Wellbeing + Outdoors + Tiny Houses + Architecture + Around the Home + Good Thinking + Holiday Destinations + View all LIFESTYLE categories * SCIENCE + Energy + Medical + Space + Materials + Biology + Environment + Physics + View all SCIENCE categories * TECHNOLOGY + Photography + Military + Mobile Technology + Games + Drones + Home Entertainment + Deals + View all TECHNOLOGY categories * TRANSPORT + Automotive + Aircraft + Bicycles + Motorcycles + Marine + Urban Transport + View all TRANSPORT categories * SUBSCRIBE AD-FREE * LOG IN Show Search [ ]Search Query Submit Search Materials Ultra-white ceramic cools buildings with record-high 99.6% reflectivity By Michael Irving November 12, 2023 * Facebook * Twitter * Flipboard * LinkedIn Inline image / # Ultra-white ceramic cools buildings with record-high 99.6% reflectivity A prototype of the new cooling ceramic material on a rooftop A prototype of the new cooling ceramic material on a rooftop City University of Hong Kong View 2 Images 1/2 A prototype of the new cooling ceramic material on a rooftop City University of Hong Kong 2/2 Samples of the cooling ceramic material, which reflect a record high of 99.6% of sunlight that hits them, cooling interiors of buildings City University of Hong Kong [icon-mouse-sc] Scientists in Hong Kong have demonstrated a new ultra-white ceramic material that can drastically cool buildings by reflecting sunlight and heat at record highs. The beetle-inspired material gets its ability from its nanostructure, stays tough to the elements and should be relatively easy to scale up for production. When our homes get too hot, the first solution for many people is to crank the air conditioning. It may be effective, but it's not very energy efficient, as heating and cooling buildings accounts for a huge percentage of energy costs. So, scientists are investigating ways to passively manage interior temperatures, and one of the simplest is to just paint buildings and rooftops white. Basic physics dictates that lighter colors absorb less light than darker ones, and therefore remain cooler. In recent years new ultra-white paints have been developed that reflect over 95% of the sunlight that hits them, doing a decent job of cooling buildings. But these coatings have their issues, including durability. For the new study, scientists at City University of Hong Kong (CityU) developed a new cooling ceramic material that performs better than others. Rather than just being a very white paint, the material gets its high reflectivity from its nanostructure, which efficiently scatters almost the entire spectrum of sunlight - just like the Cyphochilus beetle which inspired it. This results in a solar reflectivity of 99.6%, which is a record high, along with an infrared thermal emission of 96.5%. Samples of the cooling ceramic material, which reflect a record high of 99.6% of sunlight that hits them, cooling interiors of buildings City University of Hong Kong The material is made of alumina, which not only reduces solar absorption, but the team says it makes the cooling ceramic more durable in the face of weather. It resists degradation from UV light exposure, which is a weakness of other passive cooling materials and coatings, and boosts the rate of water evaporation from the surface, which adds the bonus effect of evaporative cooling. It even boasts fire resistance by withstanding temperatures of over 1,000 degC (1,832 degF). ""The beauty of the cooling ceramic is that it fulfills the requirements for both high-performance PRC and applications in real-life settings," said Professor Edwin Tso Chi-yan, co-corresponding author of the study. "Our experiment found that applying the cooling ceramic on a house roof can achieve more than 20% electricity [reduction] for space cooling, which confirms the great potential of cooling ceramic in reducing people's reliance on traditional active cooling strategies and provides a sustainable solution for avoiding electricity grid overload, greenhouse gas emissions and urban heat islands." Finally, the researchers also say that the material can be easily mass produced, using common materials like alumina and a two-step process of phase inversion and sintering. And if white is too boring for some houses, the material can apparently be produced in other colors and patterns by adding extra layers. The research was published in the journal Science. Source: City University of Hong Kong Tags MaterialsCeramicsCoolingSunlightLightTemperatureEnvironmentCity University of Hong Kong * Facebook * Twitter * Flipboard * LinkedIn 3 comments Michael Irving Michael Irving Michael has always been fascinated by space, technology, dinosaurs, and the weirder mysteries of the universe. With a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing and several years experience under his belt, he joined New Atlas as a staff writer in 2016. Most Viewed * The way you are positioned as you have your blood pressure taken can hugely influence the results Medical Millions of adults could be wrongly diagnosed with high blood pressure * THe Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider Military US Air Force fails to keep B-21 Raider's maiden flight secret * Clinical trials have shown that a single-dose drug can reduce lipoprotein(a) levels by 94% for almost a year Medical One-dose drug reduced genetic bad cholesterol by 94% for almost a year Load More 3 comments Sign in to post a comment. Please keep comments to less than 150 words. No abusive material or spam will be published. TechGazer November 13, 2023 09:44 AM White being "too boring" is just a cultural artifact. You need to have some influencer make white roofs popular, and dark roofs something to be ashamed of. I don't understand how the material can be produced in other colours and maintain its high efficiency. Colours other than white means that the material is absorbing the other wavelengths, unless it's somehow reflecting it in a direction away from the viewer. DaveWesely November 13, 2023 12:57 PM You are correct, TechGazer. The color white is a reflection of the entire color spectrum. The pure color red, for example, is the reflection of the red portion and the absorption of the green and blue wavelengths. By absorbing just a little bit of blue, the color reflected would look a little yellow (the opposite of blue). It's really a matter of color density. The lighter the color, the more light is reflected. Don Soards November 13, 2023 02:37 PM The reflected heat would be an energy benefit during the summer, but wouldn't the reflected heat be an energy liability during the winter? Saving comment... [ ] Post New Atlas logo GET OUR NEWSLETTER Over 220,000 people receive our email newsletter. Get your daily dose of extraordinary ideas! 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