This year has already seen massive heatwaves around the globe, with cities in Mexico, India, Pakistan and Oman hitting temperatures near or past 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit).
This year has already seen massive heatwaves around the globe, with cities in Mexico, India, Pakistan and Oman hitting temperatures near or past 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit).
As global temperatures and urban populations rise, the world’s cities have become “urban heat islands,” with tight-packed conditions and thermal radiation emitting from pavement and skyscraper trapping and magnifying these temperatures. With 68 percent of all people predicted to live in cities by 2050, this is a growing, deadly problem.
In a paper published today in Science, researchers from the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) detail a new wearable fabric that can help urban residents survive the worst impacts of massive heat caused by global climate change, with applications in clothing, building and car design, and food storage.
In tests under the Arizona sun, the material kept 2.3 degrees Celsius (4.1 degrees Fahrenheit) cooler than the broadband emitter fabric used for outdoor endurance sports and 8.9 degrees Celsius (16 degrees Fahrenheit) cooler than the commercialized silk commonly used for shirts, dresses and other summer clothing.
Read more at University of Chicago
Image: UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering PhD candidate Chenxi Sui (left) and Asst. Prof. Po-Chun Hsu show off a sample of a new cooling textile that reflects both direct sunlight and the thermal radiation from pavement and buildings in urban heat islands. Their results, published in Science, show the material keeps 2.3 degrees Celsius (4.1 degrees Fahrenheit) cooler than outdoor endurance sports fabric and 8.9 degrees Celsius (16 degrees Fahrenheit) cooler than commercialized silk. (Photo by John Zich)
