Colorful Alternative for ACs: These Rainbow Films Keep Cars, Buildings Cool When Exposed to Sunlight

As temperatures continue to soar, air conditioning units remain a go-to solution for beating the heat. However, they consume substantial energy and can release potent greenhouse gases, making them environmentally unsustainable especially in the midst of climate change.

But wait, there's good news! Scientists have uncovered a new eco-friendly alternative for air conditioning that could revolutionize how we keep cool in the future.

In their latest report, researchers will present an innovative plant-based film that gets cooler when exposed to sunlight.

Cool and Colorful

This colorful material, available in various textures and iridescent shades, could potentially keep buildings, cars, and other structures cool without requiring external power.

It is the perfect solution for environmentally conscious individuals looking to reduce their carbon footprint and make their lives a little more colorful.

The team's results will be presented at the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), a hybrid event being held virtually and in-person this March.

With over 10,000 presentations covering a vast range of scientific topics, the meeting is sure to be a source of inspiration for scientists and researchers from all over the world.

"To make materials that remain cooler than the air around them during the day, you need something that reflects a lot of solar light and doesn't absorb it, which would transform energy from the light into heat," Silvia Vignolini, Ph.D., the project's principal investigator, said in a press release statement.

"There are only a few materials that have this property, and adding color pigments would typically undo their cooling effects," Vignolini adds.

To achieve this revolutionary effect, the researchers relied on the concept of passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC), which enables surfaces to emit their own heat into space without being absorbed by the air or atmosphere.

The result is a surface that can become several degrees cooler than the air around it without the use of electrical power.

Functional and Fabulous

These cellulose-based cooling films are not only functional but also fabulous. The scientists have been working hard to improve their aesthetic appearance, creating films that are glittery and colorful with different textures like those found in wood finishes used in architecture and interior design.

The researchers are currently looking into ways to make their films even more useful.

Qingchen Shen, one of the researchers in the work, claims that if paired with the cooling power of their CNC-ethyl cellulose films, CNC materials could be beneficial as sensors to detect contaminants in the environment or changes in the weather.

For instance, a cobalt-colored PDRC on a building façade in a congested urban location with lots of cars may one day keep the building cool and include detectors that would warn officials when the amount of smog-causing molecules in the air increases.