Debashis Chanda and his team at the University of Central Florida have developed a revolutionary cooling paint. While they initially had trouble finding a physicist who could paint, they managed to create a basic design to showcase the paint’s capabilities. This paint differs greatly from traditional pigments, as it is based on structural color found in nature. Structural color is longer-lasting, pigment-free, and created through the diffracting of light on submicroscopic landscapes. The researchers believe that this lightweight and temperature-reducing paint could have various applications, including reducing fuel usage in transportation and offering a more environmentally friendly alternative to toxic paints made with heavy metals.
| Signal | Change | 10y horizon | Driving force |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revolutionary new kind of cooling paint | Technological | Widespread use of cooling paint | Reducing heat in a hotter world |
| Structural color paint without pigments | Environmental | More sustainable paint options | Reduce environmental impact |
| Lightest paint in the world | Material | Increased use of lightweight materials | Improve fuel efficiency |
| Less toxic constituents than traditional paints | Health and Safety | Safer and healthier paint options | Reduce health risks from paint exposure |