Chinese scientists develop fabric they say can cool the body by nearly 5 degrees Celsius
- It looks like ordinary T-shirt material and uses technology that causes it to emit mid-infrared radiation to reduce wearer’s temperature
- Team designed the ‘metafabric’ to help people cope in a world increasingly feeling the effects of climate change
The “metafabric” – designed by a team of scientists from across the country – looks like ordinary T-shirt material and uses technology that causes it to emit mid-infrared radiation (MIR) to reduce the temperature of the wearer, according to their paper published in the journal Science on Thursday.
“Tests showed that a person wearing our metafabric could be cooled down 4.8 degrees [40.6 degrees Fahrenheit] lower than when wearing commercial cotton,” the researchers said. “The cost-effectiveness and high-performance of our metafabrics present great advantages for intelligent garments, smart textiles, and passive radiative cooling applications.”
Human skin naturally emits MIR, which – like other infrared radiation – is invisible to the eye but can be felt as heat. While normal skin temperature is around 37 degrees, the scientists said wearing the metafabric could cool the skin to 31-32 degrees.