Scientists develop light-absorbent material to cool buildings, cars'

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New Delhi: Scientists have developed a light-absorbent material to cool buildings, cars' on hot summer days.

The material, developed by engineers at the University of California San Diego in the US, is called a near-perfect broadband absorber.

It absorbs more than 87 per cent of near-infrared light (1,200 to 2,200 nanometre wavelengths), with 98 per cent absorption at 1,550 nanometres, the wavelength for fiber optic communication.

The material is capable of absorbing light from every angle. It also can theoretically be customised to absorb certain wavelengths of light while letting others pass through.

Materials that "perfectly" absorb light already exist, but they are bulky and can break when bent. They also cannot be controlled to absorb only a selected range of wavelengths, which is a disadvantage for certain applications.

Imagine if a window coating used for cooling not only blocked infrared radiation, but also normal light and radio waves that transmit television and radio programmes.

By developing a novel nanoparticle-based design, a team led by professors Zhaowei Liu and Donald Sirbuly at the UC San Diego has created a broadband absorber that is thin, flexible and tunable.

(With PTI inputs)