MONDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2023
Scientists from the Institute of Tropical Technology, under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, have successfully developed a nano heat-reflective paint product.
According to the Vietnam Plus, the product has been tested by one of the five largest paint companies in Japan, SuzukaFine Company. It has been evaluated under the JIS K 5675 standards of Japan.
Associate professor Le Trong Lu said that Vietnam has a high annual average radiation level of approximately 120 kcal/cm2/year. This then leads to the phenomenon of the heat island effect in big cities and increases energy consumption.
Director of the Institute of Tropical Technology Dr. Tran Dai Lam said that the the nano-reflective heat paint is suitable for the exteriors of construction projects and tanks, as well as containers storing volatile liquid fuels and chemicals.
Additionally, it reportedly provides low costs to combat the urban heat island effect, helping to save up to 40% of energy consumption for cooling devices. It also can prevent volatile fuel and chemical losses, ensure energy security and mitigate climate change, Lam said.
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| Miljan Živkovi/ Getty Images |
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Scientists from the Institute of Tropical Technology, under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, have successfully developed a nano heat-reflective paint product. |
Recent Cooling Coating Research
At the end of last month, researchers from independent nonprofit research institute SRI International developed a new self-cooling, water-based paint to provide an energy-efficient solution to extreme heat. The paint, which reportedly resembles standard white house paint, utilizes two different methods to cool down structures.
The paint formulation is water-based and can be sprayed, rolled or brushed on to surfaces. It also offers fewer potentially harmful volatile organic compounds compared to solvent-based formulas and is free of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
The paint reportedly contains designed pigments to reflect 96% of the sunlight that hits it, according to reflectance data measured by SRI researcher.
Additionally, the second cooling method is based in the paint’s materials that radiate heat in the atmospheric transparent window, or a specific band of infrared wavelengths that are known to pass easily through Earth’s atmosphere.
Since these wavelengths don’t interact with anything in the atmosphere, the researchers explain that they are able to use the temperature difference between the paint and outer space to dissipate heat.
Prior to that, a new radiative cooling paint was also reportedly developed in India to both reduce electricity consumption and offer relief on hot days in buildings. According to a release from the Government of India’s Ministry of Science and Technology, the research was led by Professor Bivas Saha at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research.
Developed from a novel MgO-PVDF polymer nanocomposite, the paint reportedly demonstrates significant cooling capabilities with a high solar reflectivity and infrared thermal emissivity.
The experiment has also found that the surface temperature of a treated paver decreases by approximately 10 degrees Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit) under intense sunlight, which is almost double of the reduction that traditional white paints provide, the researchers say.
The scientists developed the paint by using a technique with ultra-white and ultra-emissive magnesium oxide (MgO)-polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nano-composite prepared from materials that are earth abundant, cheap, non-toxic and non-harmful.
The optimized MgO-PVDF with dielectric nanoparticles reportedly resulted in large solar reflectance of 96.3% and a record high thermal emission of 98.5% due to MgO bond vibrations, and other stretching or bonding vibrations from the polymer.
Tagged categories: Coating chemistry; Coating Materials; Coating Materials - Commercial; Coatings Technology; Coatings technology; Coatings Technology; Cool Coatings; Energy efficiency; Green coatings; Nanotechnology; Paint; Program/Project Management; Research and development
