the University of Chicago invented an ultra-thin textile to reduce heat

The University of Chicago presented a garment with ultra-thin textile, capable of keeping the wearer cool.

This invention seems to be welcome on an increasingly hot planet, knowing that the rise in temperatures, linked to the direct impact of the sun, is one thing, but, in the city, that of urban heat islands is another. . The heat from the sun comes directly from above, while that emitted by the asphalt and by buildings comes from below or from the sides.

There are already materials that “repel” the sun’s rays, on caps, for example, but this only concerns 3% of the clothes we wear, explain researchers from the Pritzker school at the University of Chicago. Some 97% of other parts of the body are not protected by heat coming from below and from the sides.

The main difficulty with this problem is that to reflect visible light from the sun and infrared light from thermal rays from the ground or a building, the textile must have different optical properties at the same time, the researchers explain. They therefore designed SSHF, the name of this ultra-thin textile, one hundredth the thickness of a hair, still composed of three layers. One is plastic, the middle one is made of nanomaterials that reflect infrared light, and the third is cotton.

The researchers tested the SSHF in real conditions in Arizona, one of the hottest states in the country. The result is that the temperature with the garment is 8.9 degrees lower than the classic silk of a shirt, but also 2.3 degrees lower than one of those commercially available garments to stay fresh during an outdoor sports session.

What the University of Chicago study suggests is that this technology could be applied in a thicker version, in the construction sector, in automobiles, and even to preserve certain food products during transport rather than use refrigerated trucks.

Researchers point out the existence of a vicious circle. As temperatures rise, air conditioning increases, which in turn contributes to climate change. Wearing clothing that limits the effects of heat and living in an environment whose materials also limit these effects allows you to use less energy.