Reversible Material Helps Regulate Heat

By: | November 18th, 2017

Reversible Material Helps Regulate Heat

Hsu et al., Sci. Adv. 2017;3: e1700895

A new reversible material might have a bright future in the wearable electronics or clothing industries.

Scientists at Stanford University developed the reversible material, which is capable of either heating you up or cooling you down based on how you wear it on your body.

The material, which consists of plastic (a form of polyethylene, or the material in cling wrap), carbon, and copper, is capable of producing different heat regulating properties when it is turned inside out.

Turning the copper side of the material to the outside helps you retain heat while having the carbon-coated layer on the outside lends to losing heat through radiation.

Interestingly enough, the new reversible material can effectively expand the range of comfortable temperatures by approximately 11.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

Marshall Smith

Technology, engineering, and design enthusiast.

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