Cool buildings without consuming energy and, at the same time, produce fresh water. That’s what a new one promises solar paint developed in Australia, capable of reflect up to 97% of the sun’s rays and of capture the moisture in the air.
The invention comes from researchers atUniversity of Sydneyin collaboration with start-up Dewpoint Innovationsand it could become one of the most interesting technologies to address global warming and the water crisis.
This particular paint not only repels solar radiation, keeping internal environments cooler, but also manages to condense the water vapor present in the atmosphere, transforming it into drops of fresh water ready to be collected.
How solar paint works: materials, tests and field results
At first glance it looks like ordinary white paint, but its composition is anything but ordinary. It is made with a nano-engineered material based on PVDF-HFP (polyvinylidene-co-hexafluoropropene fluoride), which reflects sunlight diffusely without the use of UV pigments such as titanium dioxide. This guarantees high resistance to ultraviolet rays And greater durability over timealso avoiding the dazzling effect typical of many reflective paints.
The Australian team tested the paint for six months on the roof of the laboratory Sydney Nanoscience Hub. The results were remarkable: the surface succeeded produce dew for over three months of the yearcollecting on average 390 milliliters of water per square meter per day in optimal conditions. In practice, a 15 m² roof could provide up to 6 liters of fresh water per day.
In addition to water production, the solar paint has proven to lower the internal temperature of buildings by up to 6 °C compared to the external environment. It means reducing the need for air conditioning, with a consequent energy saving And lower CO₂ emissions.
The start-up Dewpoint Innovations is already working on a commercial version, with the aim of bringing a product capable of bonding to the market passive cooling and water collection.
A simple idea that, if applied on a large scale, could have a concrete impact on the way we build and live in our cities.
