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Radiative human body cooling by nanoporous polyethylene textile
Po-Chun Hsu1, Alex Y Song2, Peter B Catrysse2
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|October 5, 2016
Summary
New nanoporous polyethylene (nanoPE) textiles offer effective personal cooling. This material is transparent to body heat radiation but blocks visible light, reducing perceived temperature by up to 2.7°C compared to cotton.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Textile Engineering
- Thermal Management
Background:
- Personal thermal management is key for energy savings by adjusting indoor temperature setpoints.
- Existing textiles lack optimal properties for effective radiative cooling and wearability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate nanoporous polyethylene (nanoPE) as a textile for personal thermal management.
- To assess nanoPE's optical properties and thermal performance for radiative cooling.
Main Methods:
- Nanoporous polyethylene (nanoPE) was processed into a wearable textile.
- Optical properties (transparency to mid-infrared, opacity to visible light) were analyzed based on pore size distribution.
- A simulated skin temperature device was used to compare cooling effects with cotton.
Main Results:
- NanoPE exhibits a pore size distribution (50-1000 nm) enabling mid-infrared transparency and visible light opacity.
- Processed nanoPE textiles demonstrated effective radiative cooling, reducing simulated skin temperature by 2.7°C (nanoPE cloth) and 2.0°C (processed nanoPE cloth) compared to cotton.
- The developed textile maintains sufficient air permeability, water-wicking, and mechanical strength for practical wearability.
Conclusions:
- Processed nanoPE is a promising, scalable textile material for effective personal thermal management.
- This material facilitates energy savings through expanded indoor temperature setpoints.
- NanoPE textiles offer a novel approach to passive cooling by manipulating radiative heat transfer.
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