Researchers at the University of Colorado have developed a film capable of cooling a home without using electricity, which could replace the use of an air conditioner.
On hot days, nothing better than a good air conditioning to leave the environment with a more pleasant temperature. Whether at home, at work or elsewhere. However, not everyone is able to afford such a device. Some for financial reasons, others more concerned with the environment, given that air conditioning emits polluting gases and greenhouse effect generators. Therefore, to the delight of many, researchers at the University of Colorado have developed a more affordable alternative for everyone: a film capable of cooling environments without the use of electricity.
Discover the film that can displace the use of air conditioners
Being a more affordable, sustainable and efficient alternative to traditional air conditioning, the film was developed by two researchers from the University of Colorado, located in the United States. Xiabo Yin and Ronggui Yang developed a film capable of cooling environments without the need to use refrigerant gases or electricity.
The film acts in the process of filtering the sun's rays that are released on the Earth's atmosphere. The atmosphere allows some red wavelengths, which generate heat, to escape into space unimpeded. What the Yang and Yin researchers did was simply convert the unwanted heat into infrared radiation at the exact wavelength the planet sends back.
The film developed by scientists it is produced with polymethylpentane, which is a transparent plastic that can be found commercially and is composed of small glass stones. The film, which is coated with silver on one side, is transformed into sheets 50 millionths of a meter thick. When the film is placed on the roof of a house, the side with the silver faces downwards. Therefore, sunlight is reflected by the silver side through the plastic, preventing the environment from heating without the use of electricity or air conditioning.
The cooling power of the material produced by researchers at the University of Colorado
In addition to the benefit of preventing heat from entering, internal heat is also released to the atmosphere. The cooling power of the equipment can reach 93 watts per square meter. At night, for example, the capacity of the film is even greater and, according to the researchers, only 20 m² of product are enough to keep the temperature of an ordinary house at 20ºC on a day when the average is 37ºC. in thermometers.
According to the magazine “The Economist,”, the film can be produced in methods already used by the industry and with a very low cost of only 50 cents per m².
Company develops mini portable air conditioner
As we mentioned earlier, not everyone has the conditions to have an air conditioner at home, and, with the estimate that 2022 will be a hotter year than the previous ones, a German company has developed a new product that can be a low-cost solution for sunny days: one mini portable air conditioner.
For the product to work properly, it will only need a little water and at the push of a button, in less than a minute it starts working, spreading cold air throughout the area.
The mini air conditioner has three speeds: low, medium and high, being able to reduce the temperature by up to 10 degrees. In addition to cooling the air, the equipment also purifies and humidifies, making breathing easier.
