Passive cooling paint enabled by rational design of thermal-optical and mass transfer properties

Jipeng Fei; Xuan Zhang; Di Han; Yue Lei; Fei Xie; Kai Zhou; See Wee Koh; Junyu Ge; Hao Zhou; Xingli Wang; Xinghui Wu; Jun Yan Tan; Yuheng Gu; Yongping Long; Zhi Hui Koh; Su Wang; Panwei Du; Tangwei Mi; Bing Feng Ng; Lili Cai; Chi Feng; Qiaoqiang Gan; Hong Li

doi:10.1126/science.adt3372

Passive cooling paint enabled by rational design of thermal-optical and mass transfer properties

Jipeng Fei, Xuan Zhang, Di Han, Yue Lei, Fei Xie, Kai Zhou, See Wee Koh, Junyu Ge, Hao Zhou, Xingli Wang, Xinghui Wu, Jun Yan Tan, Yuheng Gu, Yongping Long, Zhi Hui Koh, Su Wang, Panwei Du, Tangwei Mi, Bing Feng Ng, Lili CaiChi Feng, Qiaoqiang Gan, Hong Li^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

16 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Integrating radiative and evaporative cooling shows promise for enhancing passive cooling, but durable self-curing integrated cooling paints remain underdeveloped. We designed a modified cementitious structure with advanced thermal-optical and mass transfer properties, boosting cooling power while ensuring durability, mechanical strength, and broad adhesion. The paint achieves 88 to 92% solar reflectance (depending on wetting), 95% atmospheric window emittance, ~30% water retention, and self-replenishing properties, maintaining stable optical performance even when wet. Field tests in tropical Singapore demonstrated superior cooling performance compared with commercial white paints. Pilot-scale demonstrations highlighted consistent electricity savings under varying weather conditions, supported by theoretical modeling. By leveraging sustainable water evaporation and thermal radiation, this paint offers a practical and long-term solution for mitigating the urban heat island effect.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1044-1049
Number of pages	6
Journal	Science
Volume	388
Issue number	6751
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adt3372
Publication status	Published - 5 Jun 2025
Externally published	Yes

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Fei, J., Zhang, X., Han, D., Lei, Y., Xie, F., Zhou, K., Koh, S. W., Ge, J., Zhou, H., Wang, X., Wu, X., Tan, J. Y., Gu, Y., Long, Y., Koh, Z. H., Wang, S., Du, P., Mi, T., Ng, B. F., ... Li, H. (2025). Passive cooling paint enabled by rational design of thermal-optical and mass transfer properties. Science, 388(6751), 1044-1049. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adt3372

@article{73fed71eaab140618274d3c51dc4e837,

title = "Passive cooling paint enabled by rational design of thermal-optical and mass transfer properties",

abstract = "Integrating radiative and evaporative cooling shows promise for enhancing passive cooling, but durable self-curing integrated cooling paints remain underdeveloped. We designed a modified cementitious structure with advanced thermal-optical and mass transfer properties, boosting cooling power while ensuring durability, mechanical strength, and broad adhesion. The paint achieves 88 to 92\% solar reflectance (depending on wetting), 95\% atmospheric window emittance, \textasciitilde{}30\% water retention, and self-replenishing properties, maintaining stable optical performance even when wet. Field tests in tropical Singapore demonstrated superior cooling performance compared with commercial white paints. Pilot-scale demonstrations highlighted consistent electricity savings under varying weather conditions, supported by theoretical modeling. By leveraging sustainable water evaporation and thermal radiation, this paint offers a practical and long-term solution for mitigating the urban heat island effect.",

author = "Jipeng Fei and Xuan Zhang and Di Han and Yue Lei and Fei Xie and Kai Zhou and Koh, \{See Wee\} and Junyu Ge and Hao Zhou and Xingli Wang and Xinghui Wu and Tan, \{Jun Yan\} and Yuheng Gu and Yongping Long and Koh, \{Zhi Hui\} and Su Wang and Panwei Du and Tangwei Mi and Ng, \{Bing Feng\} and Lili Cai and Chi Feng and Qiaoqiang Gan and Hong Li",

note = "Publisher Copyright: Copyright {\textcopyright} 2025 the authors, some rights reserved.",

year = "2025",

month = jun,

day = "5",

doi = "10.1126/science.adt3372",

language = "English",

volume = "388",

pages = "1044--1049",

journal = "Science",

issn = "0036-8075",

publisher = "American Association for the Advancement of Science",

number = "6751",

}

Fei, J, Zhang, X, Han, D, Lei, Y, Xie, F, Zhou, K, Koh, SW, Ge, J, Zhou, H, Wang, X, Wu, X, Tan, JY, Gu, Y, Long, Y, Koh, ZH, Wang, S, Du, P, Mi, T, Ng, BF, Cai, L, Feng, C, Gan, Q & Li, H 2025, 'Passive cooling paint enabled by rational design of thermal-optical and mass transfer properties', Science, vol. 388, no. 6751, pp. 1044-1049. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adt3372

TY - JOUR

T1 - Passive cooling paint enabled by rational design of thermal-optical and mass transfer properties

AU - Fei, Jipeng

AU - Zhang, Xuan

AU - Han, Di

AU - Lei, Yue

AU - Xie, Fei

AU - Zhou, Kai

AU - Koh, See Wee

AU - Ge, Junyu

AU - Zhou, Hao

AU - Wang, Xingli

AU - Wu, Xinghui

AU - Tan, Jun Yan

AU - Gu, Yuheng

AU - Long, Yongping

AU - Koh, Zhi Hui

AU - Wang, Su

AU - Du, Panwei

AU - Mi, Tangwei

AU - Ng, Bing Feng

AU - Cai, Lili

AU - Feng, Chi

AU - Gan, Qiaoqiang

AU - Li, Hong

PY - 2025/6/5

Y1 - 2025/6/5

N2 - Integrating radiative and evaporative cooling shows promise for enhancing passive cooling, but durable self-curing integrated cooling paints remain underdeveloped. We designed a modified cementitious structure with advanced thermal-optical and mass transfer properties, boosting cooling power while ensuring durability, mechanical strength, and broad adhesion. The paint achieves 88 to 92% solar reflectance (depending on wetting), 95% atmospheric window emittance, ~30% water retention, and self-replenishing properties, maintaining stable optical performance even when wet. Field tests in tropical Singapore demonstrated superior cooling performance compared with commercial white paints. Pilot-scale demonstrations highlighted consistent electricity savings under varying weather conditions, supported by theoretical modeling. By leveraging sustainable water evaporation and thermal radiation, this paint offers a practical and long-term solution for mitigating the urban heat island effect.

AB - Integrating radiative and evaporative cooling shows promise for enhancing passive cooling, but durable self-curing integrated cooling paints remain underdeveloped. We designed a modified cementitious structure with advanced thermal-optical and mass transfer properties, boosting cooling power while ensuring durability, mechanical strength, and broad adhesion. The paint achieves 88 to 92% solar reflectance (depending on wetting), 95% atmospheric window emittance, ~30% water retention, and self-replenishing properties, maintaining stable optical performance even when wet. Field tests in tropical Singapore demonstrated superior cooling performance compared with commercial white paints. Pilot-scale demonstrations highlighted consistent electricity savings under varying weather conditions, supported by theoretical modeling. By leveraging sustainable water evaporation and thermal radiation, this paint offers a practical and long-term solution for mitigating the urban heat island effect.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105008427145

U2 - 10.1126/science.adt3372

DO - 10.1126/science.adt3372

M3 - Article

C2 - 40472080

AN - SCOPUS:105008427145

SN - 0036-8075

VL - 388

SP - 1044

EP - 1049

JO - Science

JF - Science

IS - 6751

ER -

Passive cooling paint enabled by rational design of thermal-optical and mass transfer properties

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