City workers battling scorching pavements and stifling streets will soon be able to better dress to combat the urban oven.
A team of international researchers have developed a natural fabric that residents could wear to counter rising temperatures in cities worldwide, caused by buildings, asphalt and concrete.
University of South Australia visiting researcher Yangzhe Hou said as heatwaves became more prominent, cooling textiles that could be incorporated into clothes, hats and shoes provided a glimpse into a future.
Mr Hou said the team’s the wearable fabric was designed to reflect sunlight and allow heat to escape, while blocking the sun’s rays and lowering the temperature.
“The fabric promises to bring relief to millions of city dwellers experiencing warmer and more uncomfortable temperatures caused by global climate change and fewer green spaces.”
He said the fabric leveraged the principle of radiative cooling, a natural process where materials emit heat into the atmosphere and ultimately into space.
“Unlike conventional fabrics that retain heat, these textiles are made of three layers that are engineered to optimise cooling.”
Mr Hou said the upper layer, made of polymethyl pentene fibres, allowed heat to radiate effectively, the middle layer, composed of silver nanowires, enhanced the fabric’s reflectivity, preventing additional heat from reaching the body and the bottom layer, made of wool, directed heat away from the skin, ensuring the wearer remained cool, even in the hottest urban environments.
“In our experiment, when placed vertically, the fabric was found to be 2.3°C cooler than traditional textiles, and up to 6.2°C cooler than the surrounding environment when used as a horizontal surface covering.
“The fabric’s ability to passively reduce temperatures offers a sustainable alternative to conventional air conditioning, providing energy savings and reducing the strain on power grids during heatwaves.”
Read the full study Radiation cooling textiles countering urban heat islands
