Chalk-coated textiles cool in urban environments
On this outdoor testing station, the cooling ability of fabric squares treated with a chalk-based coating was tested in multiple urban environments, such as this open concrete veranda next to a building.
Credit: Adapted from Applied Materials & Interfaces 2024, DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c15984
As air temperatures stay elevated through fall months, people may still want clothes that cool them down while outside, especially if they live in cities that stay warmer than rural landscapes. Researchers who previously demonstrated a cooling fabric coating now report on additional tests of a treated polyester fabric in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. Fabric treated with the team’s chalk-based coating kept the air underneath up to 6 degrees Fahrenheit cooler in warmer urban environments.
Researchers Evan D. Patamia, Megan K. Yee and Trisha L. Andrew created a polymer-mineral coating for commercial fabrics and presented preliminary assessments of the coating’s cooling effect at ACS Fall 2024, a meeting of the American Chemical Society.
Now, the researchers confirm that their treated polyester poplin fabric could keep a person up to 15 F cooler than untreated polyester. Additionally, they have expanded the testing environments to four outdoor urban settings, including areas with materials that absorb and emit the sun’s heat. Observations made during hot, cloudless days indicate that treated polyester cooled the air underneath the fabric regardless of the environment:
- Open grass field: averaging 6 F below ambient air temperature.
- Concrete-paved alley between buildings: averaging 3 F below ambient.
- Asphalt-paved parking lot: averaging 1 F below ambient.
- Open concrete veranda: averaging 3 F below ambient.
The researchers say their expanded results show the potential of their coated fabrics to provide energy-free cooling for pedestrians and cyclists in urban environments.
The authors acknowledge support from an Interdisciplinary Research Grant from the College of Natural Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS’ mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and all its people. The Society is a global leader in promoting excellence in science education and providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, e-books and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a leader in scientific information solutions, its CAS division partners with global innovators to accelerate breakthroughs by curating, connecting and analyzing the world’s scientific knowledge. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.
Registered journalists can subscribe to the ACS journalist news portal on EurekAlert! to access embargoed and public science press releases. For media inquiries, contact newsroom@acs.org.
Note: ACS does not conduct research but publishes and publicizes peer-reviewed scientific studies.
Journal: ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c15984
Article Title: “Microstructured Reflective Coatings on Commodity Textiles for Passive Personal Cooling”
Article Publication Date: 18-Oct-2024
Media Contacts
ACS Newsroom
American Chemical Society
newsroom@acs.org
Emily Abbott
American Chemical Society
e_abbott@acs.org
All latest news from the category: Life Sciences and Chemistry
Articles and reports from the Life Sciences and chemistry area deal with applied and basic research into modern biology, chemistry and human medicine.
Valuable information can be found on a range of life sciences fields including bacteriology, biochemistry, bionics, bioinformatics, biophysics, biotechnology, genetics, geobotany, human biology, marine biology, microbiology, molecular biology, cellular biology, zoology, bioinorganic chemistry, microchemistry and environmental chemistry.
Newest articles
Clinically validated, wearable ultrasound patch for continuous blood pressure monitoring
A team of researchers at the University of California San Diego has developed a new and improved wearable ultrasound patch for continuous and noninvasive blood pressure monitoring. Their work marks…
A new puzzle piece for string theory research
Dr. Ksenia Fedosova from the Cluster of Excellence Mathematics Münster, along with an international research team, has proven a conjecture in string theory that physicists had proposed regarding certain equations….
Climate change can cause stress in herring larvae
The occurrence of multiple stressors undermines the acclimatisation strategies of juvenile herring: If larvae are exposed to several stress factors at the same time, their ability to respond to these…