BRAND-NEW
SPECIAL ISSUE ON ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN
Stanford University Researchers Formulated Coatings Keeping Buildings Insulated The new coating can be applied on buildings and refrigerated trucks to keep them insulated, reducing energy consumption, costs and emissions.
R
esearchers from Stanford University (California, U.S.A.)
to reduce heat exchange between human living and work
have recently formulated a coating that keeps building and
spaces and their surroundings is getting more attention, and
refrigerated cargos cooler in the summer and warmer in
new materials for enhanced insulation are in demand,” stated
the winter, reducing energy usages and consequently costs and
Yi Cui, a professor of materials, energy and photon science and
greenhouse gas emissions.
engineering at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, who also
Space heating and cooling accounts for about 13% of global
directs the Precourt Institute for Energy and the Sustainability
energy use and 11% of greenhouse gas emissions. This new
Accelerator at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.
coating reduced the energy used for heating by about 36% in
The newly formulated solution has two layers applied separately:
experiments using artificial cold environments as well as 21% in
an infrared reflective bottom layer using aluminium flakes and
artificial warm conditions.
an ultrathin, infrared transparent upper layer using inorganic
“Energy and emissions from heating are forecast to continue
nanoparticles that comes in a wide range of colours. It can be
to fall due to energy efficiency gains, but air conditioning use is
applied to exterior walls and roofs in order to keep the heat
rising, especially in developing economies in a warming world.
out by letting the infrared light passing through the colour
For both heating and air conditioning we must reduce energy
layer, reflecting off the lower layer and passing back out as light.
and emissions globally to meet our zero-emissions goals. How
Furthermore, it can be applied to interior walls to keep the heat inside, where the lower layer reflects the infrared waves that transfer energy across space and are invisible to the human eye. © UnSplash
“Both layers can be sprayed onto assorted surfaces of various shapes and materials providing an extra thermal barrier in many different situations,” has also declared Yucan Peng, the co-lead author of the study and postdoctoral scholar in Stanford’s Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials. The new coatings can also be applied on trucks or train cars used for refrigerated transportation. They can be used in humid environments, since they have water-repellent layers and are resistant to high temperatures. The available colours are white, blue, red, yellow, green, orange, purple and dark grey. “Our team continues to work on refining the paint formulations for practical applications. For example, water-based solutions would be more environmentally friendly than the organic solvents we used. That could facilitate the commercialisation of the paints,” has concluded Jian-Cheng Lai, a postdoctoral scholar and co-author of the study.
For further information: https://shorturl.at/jQXZ2
international PAINT&COATING magazine - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2023 - N. 83
55