With global temperatures rising and more people living in cities, urban areas are becoming “heat islands,” where pavement and buildings trap and magnify heat. Researchers from the University of Chicago have developed a new wearable fabric to help combat this problem, which is detailed in a paper published in Science. Tested under Arizona’s sun, the fabric remained significantly cooler than existing sportswear and summer clothing, offering up to 8.9°C of cooling. Unlike current fabrics, this new textile effectively counters thermal radiation from buildings and pavement, which heats 97% of clothing.
New Wearable Fabric Tackles Urban Heat Island Effects
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