Polymer Coating Cools Down Buildings
- Magazine Article
- TBMG-35972
Language:
- English
Topic:
Common cooling methods such as air conditioners are expensive, consume significant amounts of energy, require ready access to electricity, and often require coolants that deplete ozone or have a strong greenhouse effect. An alternative to these energy-intensive cooling methods is passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC), a phenomenon where a surface spontaneously cools by reflecting sunlight and radiating heat to the colder atmosphere. PDRC is most effective if a surface has a high solar reflectance that minimizes solar heat gain and a high thermal emittance that maximizes radiative heat loss to the sky.