{"id":42584,"date":"2023-03-01T14:35:19","date_gmt":"2023-03-01T15:35:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/?p=42584"},"modified":"2023-03-01T16:38:54","modified_gmt":"2023-03-01T16:38:54","slug":"the-worlds-whitest-paint-is-also-the-coolest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/2023\/03\/01\/the-worlds-whitest-paint-is-also-the-coolest\/","title":{"rendered":"The World&#039;s Whitest Paint Is Also the Coolest"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"sc-1eow4w5-1 eLNveM align--bleed js_marquee-assetfigure\" data-id=\"a6fb05f09a4b2e8e3cf80fab979984da\" data-recommend-id=\"image:\/\/a6fb05f09a4b2e8e3cf80fab979984da\" data-format=\"png\" data-width=\"3840\" data-height=\"2160\" data-lightbox=\"true\" data-recommended=\"false\" data-hide=\"false\">\n<div class=\"sc-1eow4w5-2 loxZOX has-data img-wrapper\" data-link-reference=\"\" data-link-target=\"\" data-syndicationrights=\"true\" data-imagerights=\"in-house-art\" data-hide=\"false\" data-hidecredit=\"false\"><span class=\"sc-1eow4w5-0 dnhHtZ js_lightbox-wrapper\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-1eow4w5-3 lktKQM image-hydration-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"Image for article titled The World&#039;s Whitest Paint Is Also the Coolest\" data-chomp-id=\"a6fb05f09a4b2e8e3cf80fab979984da\" data-format=\"png\" data-alt=\"Image for article titled The World&#039;s Whitest Paint Is Also the Coolest\" data-anim-src=\"\" \/><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<p><span data-id=\"a6fb05f09a4b2e8e3cf80fab979984da\" data-recommend-id=\"image:\/\/a6fb05f09a4b2e8e3cf80fab979984da\" data-format=\"png\" data-width=\"3840\" data-height=\"2160\" data-lightbox=\"true\" data-recommended=\"false\" data-hide=\"false\" class=\"js_recommend\"><\/span><\/figure>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY\">Purdue University engineers are  winners of the <span><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 cFSTdr js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;Internal link&quot;,&quot;https:\/\/gizmodo.com\/gizmodo-science-fair-2023-winners-1850148834&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"https:\/\/gizmodo.com\/gizmodo-science-fair-2023-winners-1850148834\">2023 Gizmodo Science Fair<\/a><\/span> for making the world\u2019s whitest paints.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-1needdh-1 drQYFN\">\n<div class=\"sc-1needdh-0 bzIKDG instream-native-video instream-permalink instream-native-video--mobile\">\n<div class=\"sc-1h0epat-0 hykIxg\">\n<div class=\"sc-1wkneyl-0 hxLRyg video-html5-playlist\" data-playlist=\"193903,193895,193886\" data-current=\"193903\">\n<div class=\"video-html5-loaded\">\n<div class=\"video-html5-player\">\n<div class=\"lhhce6-0 bVyOPq video-html5 autoplay muted mobile\" data-video-id=\"193903\" data-monetizable=\"true\" data-position=\"sidebar\" data-video-title=\"\u2018I Saw Jonathan Frakes Giving Patrick Stewart a Noogie\u2019\" data-video-blog-id=\"4\" data-video-network=\"gizmodo\" data-video-duration=\"106\"><track kind=\"captions\" label=\"English\" src=\"https:\/\/kinja.com\/api\/videoupload\/caption\/19370.vtt\" srclang=\"en\" \/><div class=\"sc-1yhvqfu-2 hovEJL video-controls\">\n<div class=\"sc-1yhvqfu-0 hGlMLe closed-captions\"><button class=\"cc\" type=\"button\">CC<\/button><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"selected\" data-label=\"\">Off<\/li>\n<li class=\"\" data-label=\"English\">English<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><button class=\"sc-1h0epat-2 eXrsVI js_close-sticky-mobile-video\"><span class=\"iyvn34-0 bYIjtl\"><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"sc-1bwb26k-1 fvPqJk\" id=\"h72728\"><strong>The Question<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY\">Can you increase the reflectivity of paint to keep buildings as cool as possible\u2014and  adapt that paint to use on things like cars and planes that need lighter-weight material?<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-5 enWAiR js_ad-mobile-dynamic js_ad-dynamic ad-mobile-dynamic movable-ad\">\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-4 grZkjw ad-unit ad-mobile\">\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-0 gJTWjl\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"sc-1bwb26k-1 fvPqJk\" id=\"h72729\"><strong>The Results<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY\">In 2021, a team of engineers at Purdue University announced they had made the world\u2019s whitest paint, which is able to reflect more than 98% of sunlight and greatly reduce the need for air conditioning in buildings. Last year, they created a lighter-weight version that could be used for planes, spacecraft, and other vehicles, which was still able to reflect 97.9% of sunlight with a very thin application of paint.<\/p>\n<div class=\"bxm4mm-7 BkGlG\">\n<div class=\"sc-1atgi65-0 sc-1atgi65-1 bdNdA-D js_commerce-inset-permalink\" data-inset-url=\"https:\/\/stacksocial.com\/sales\/the-2022-complete-python-certification-bootcamp-bundle?aid=a-efnv1nsd&amp;utm_source=theinventory.com&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=the-2022-complete-python-certification-bootcamp-bundle_011723&amp;utm_term=scsf-563824\" data-inset-category=\"CommerceInsetMobile\">\n<div class=\"sc-1atgi65-8 hLnfcm\">G\/O Media may get a commission<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc-1atgi65-3 hMBKyp creative-type-A\"><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-1atgi65-4 dxZfFS js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;CommerceInsetMobile&quot;,&quot;Click&quot;,&quot;https:\/\/gizmodo.com\/whitest-paint-reflects-light-cools-buildings-nanotech-1850108248&quot;],[&quot;ns:unique&quot;,&quot;CommerceInsetMobile&quot;,&quot;Click&quot;,&quot;https:\/\/gizmodo.com\/whitest-paint-reflects-light-cools-buildings-nanotech-1850108248&quot;],[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;CommerceInsetMobile&quot;,&quot;https:\/\/stacksocial.com\/sales\/the-2022-complete-python-certification-bootcamp-bundle?aid=a-efnv1nsd&amp;utm_source=theinventory.com&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=the-2022-complete-python-certification-bootcamp-bundle_011723&amp;utm_term=scsf-563824&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"https:\/\/stacksocial.com\/sales\/the-2022-complete-python-certification-bootcamp-bundle?aid=a-efnv1nsd&amp;utm_source=theinventory.com&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=the-2022-complete-python-certification-bootcamp-bundle_011723&amp;utm_term=scsf-563824\" data-linktype=\"[t|mod-all\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"sponsored noopener noreferrer nofollow noskim\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-1atgi65-6 gLSKws\">\n<div class=\"sc-1atgi65-10 hherpH js_lazy-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The 2023 Complete Python Certification Bootcamp Bundle\" src=\"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/72d876d1fcde3154d9110e87dada23f1.jpg\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"sc-1atgi65-15 jrXWJC\">\n<div class=\"sc-1atgi65-7 dkVXtU\">The 2023 Complete Python Certification Bootcamp Bundle<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-1atgi65-12 dRyRwx\">\n<p class=\"sc-1atgi65-13 iFlqWg\"><span>Comes with twelve different courses comprised of a huge number of lessons, and each one will help you learn more about Python itself, and can be accessed when you want and as often as you want forever, making it ideal for learning a new skill. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-5 enWAiR\">\n<div class=\"bxm4mm-0 cULvCC\">\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-4 grZkjw ad-unit ad-mobile\">\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-0 gJTWjl\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"sc-1bwb26k-1 fvPqJk\" id=\"h72730\"><strong>Why They Did It<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY\">\u201cIn 2021, we published the barium sulfate paint, which is still the whitest on record,\u201d said Xiulin Ruan, a professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue and lead researcher on the project. \u201cThat\u2019s suitable for buildings and other stationary infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-5 enWAiR js_ad-mobile-dynamic js_ad-dynamic ad-mobile-dynamic movable-ad\">\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-4 grZkjw ad-unit ad-mobile\">\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-0 gJTWjl\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY\">\u201cFor large vehicles like commercial airplanes, the paint is not an insignificant part of their weight,\u201d said George Chiu, a professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue whose research focuses on digital printing. \u201cThere is actually a significant cost savings associated with getting the weight down. If you can achieve the same thermal property of the paint with an 80% weight reduction, that\u2019s a significant savings for the airline. And the weight savings translates to fuel savings, and that makes for a more sustainable transportation system as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"sc-1eow4w5-1 OpJok align--right js_lazy-image js_marquee-assetfigure\" data-id=\"dd5c3f3f0608c038e4b3c359d4809273\" data-recommend-id=\"image:\/\/dd5c3f3f0608c038e4b3c359d4809273\" data-format=\"png\" data-width=\"1200\" data-height=\"1357\" data-lightbox=\"true\" data-recommended=\"false\" data-hide=\"false\">\n<div class=\"sc-1eow4w5-2 loxZOX has-data img-wrapper\" data-link-reference=\"\" data-link-target=\"\" data-syndicationrights=\"true\" data-imagerights=\"in-house-art\" data-hide=\"false\" data-hidecredit=\"false\"><span class=\"sc-1eow4w5-0 dnhHtZ js_lightbox-wrapper\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-1eow4w5-3 lktKQM image-hydration-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"Image for article titled The World&#039;s Whitest Paint Is Also the Coolest\" data-chomp-id=\"dd5c3f3f0608c038e4b3c359d4809273\" data-format=\"png\" data-alt=\"Image for article titled The World&#039;s Whitest Paint Is Also the Coolest\" data-anim-src=\"\" \/><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<p><span data-id=\"dd5c3f3f0608c038e4b3c359d4809273\" data-recommend-id=\"image:\/\/dd5c3f3f0608c038e4b3c359d4809273\" data-format=\"png\" data-width=\"1200\" data-height=\"1357\" data-lightbox=\"true\" data-recommended=\"false\" data-hide=\"false\" class=\"js_recommend\"><\/span><\/figure>\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-5 enWAiR js_ad-mobile-dynamic js_ad-dynamic ad-mobile-dynamic movable-ad\">\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-4 grZkjw ad-unit ad-mobile\">\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-0 gJTWjl\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY\"> \u201cWe wanted to look at approaches that could improve the reflectance while also reducing the weight of the paint,\u201d said Andrea Felicelli, a Purdue PhD student in mechanical engineering whose research focuses on nanocomposite materials.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY\">\u201cWe wanted to see how the [platelet] shape really affects the performance of the paint,\u201d said Ionna Katsamba, also a PhD student in mechanical engineering at Purdue, who focused on modeling the physics behind the paints. \u201cWe found that it was kind of limited in the literature, people really investigating the shapes of nanoparticles and getting the optical properties.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-5 enWAiR js_ad-mobile-dynamic js_ad-dynamic ad-mobile-dynamic movable-ad\">\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-4 grZkjw ad-unit ad-mobile\">\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-0 gJTWjl\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"sc-1bwb26k-1 fvPqJk\" id=\"h72731\"><strong>Why They\u2019re a Winner<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY\">The team took an old concept\u2014the idea of white paint reflecting sunlight to naturally cool buildings\u2014and combined it with nanotechnology to create some of the world\u2019s whitest paints. The paint created in 2021 was made using high concentrations of barium sulfate, a compound that has different-sized particles to help scatter sunlight. After this success, Ruan and colleagues turned to figuring out how to create a lighter-weight version. This team ended up incorporating hexagonal boron nitride, which is used mostly in lubricants and has a unique morphology that lowers the density of the material, to reduce the paint\u2019s thickness and weight and maintain nearly all of its reflective properties. Paints like these can keep buildings and vehicles much cooler than traditional white paints on the market, helping us adjust to hotter temperatures without using excess energy for cooling. <\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-5 enWAiR js_ad-mobile-dynamic js_ad-dynamic ad-mobile-dynamic movable-ad\">\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-4 grZkjw ad-unit ad-mobile\">\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-0 gJTWjl\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"sc-1bwb26k-1 fvPqJk\" id=\"h72732\"><strong>What\u2019s Next<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY\">There are many potential future applications for this paint, which Ruan says they\u2019re in discussions to commercialize. The team is working to ensure their paints can resist dirt, as well as exploring creating paint in other colors that can still reflect significant amounts of sunlight. Down the line, Ruan says he\u2019s interested in using nanotechnology to create paint that can change colors based on the seasons, to keep buildings warm in the winter and cool in the summer.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-5 enWAiR js_ad-mobile-dynamic js_ad-dynamic ad-mobile-dynamic movable-ad\">\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-4 grZkjw ad-unit ad-mobile\">\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-0 gJTWjl\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"sc-1bwb26k-1 fvPqJk\" id=\"h72733\"><strong>The Team<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY\">Xiulin Ruan, professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue; George Chiu, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Assistant Dean for Global Engineering Programs and Partnerships; Ioanna Katsamba, PhD student at Purdue; and Andrea Felicelli, PhD student at Purdue.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-5 enWAiR js_ad-mobile-dynamic js_ad-dynamic ad-mobile-dynamic movable-ad\">\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-4 grZkjw ad-unit ad-mobile\">\n<div class=\"sc-17kx9cd-0 gJTWjl\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY\"><span><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 cFSTdr js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;Internal link&quot;,&quot;https:\/\/gizmodo.com\/gizmodo-science-fair-2023-winners-1850148834&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"https:\/\/gizmodo.com\/gizmodo-science-fair-2023-winners-1850148834\"><strong>See the full list of Gizmodo Science Fair winners<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-77igqf-0 bOfvBY\">Read more: <span><a class=\"sc-1out364-0 hMndXN sc-145m8ut-0 cFSTdr js_link\" data-ga=\"[[&quot;Embedded Url&quot;,&quot;Internal link&quot;,&quot;https:\/\/gizmodo.com\/whitest-reflective-paint-nanotechnology-purdue-cooling-1850168584&quot;,{&quot;metric25&quot;:1}]]\" href=\"https:\/\/gizmodo.com\/whitest-reflective-paint-nanotechnology-purdue-cooling-1850168584\">Just How White Can White Paint Get?<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Purdue University engineers are winners of the 2023 Gizmodo Science Fair for making the world\u2019s<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":42586,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42584"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42584"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42584\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42587,"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42584\/revisions\/42587"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42584"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42584"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42584"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}