This is a textile that we would have liked to have had a little earlier in the summer. Be that as it may, American researchers have succeeded in developing a brand new textile which makes it possible to better resist heat, with an indirect objective of saving energy.
In the United States, researchers at Stanford University in California have developed a new textile that should allow people living in hot countries to stay cooler without air conditioning, since it cools the body two degrees Celsius warmer than if they were wearing a cotton garment. » If we manage to cool people instead of the buildings where they live and work, we could save energy“, explains Yi Cui, assistant professor of materials science and engineering at Stanford University.
This new material, resulting from a skilful mix between nanotechnology, optics and chemistry, like other fabrics, allows sweat to evaporate, but the little extra here is that it embeds a new mechanism that allows sweat to pass through. infrared radiation emitted by the body. » Between 40 to 60% of body heat is dissipated in the form of infrared radiation when we sit at the desk“, explains Shanhui Fan, professor of electrical engineering and one of the co-authors. » Very few studies, if any, had been carried out until then to design a textile favoring the dissipation of infrared radiation he adds.
This new textile and its ability to cool were tested on an area at the same temperature as the skin, and the researchers measured the amount of heat retained by each of the samples. For Shanhui Fan, co-author of this study published in the American journal Sciencethis opens the door to new ways of cooling or heating objects without the need to resort to external energy sources, which draw energy.
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