The hottest fashion trend in climate change.
Zoomer Fashion
Due to unchecked climate change, the world we know will continue to heat up. According to scientists, it is time we started dressing up for it.
Metafabric is a fabric woven with nanoparticles. It has been developed by researchers from several Chinese universities. This textile, Wired reports, reflects most of the sun away from its wearer and keeps them cool in extreme heat. The researchers hope that their new material will not only keep people safe in hotter temperatures, but also serve as an alternative for running air conditioning, which can make things worse from an environmental standpoint.
Try it!
Scientists tested the metafabric by putting a student in a vest made of both metafabric material and cotton. Then, they left them outside for one hour. According to Science research, the metafabric covered half of the student's trunk was five degrees Celsius colder than the other. Similar encouraging results were seen in longer tests using skin-simulating hardware, rather than the hapless students. This gives hope for an alternative energy-intensive AC.
According to Yaoguang Ma, a senior researcher and Zhejiang University optical engineering engineer, cooling down the environment requires a lot of energy. This kind of fabric can be made into clothes and sold to people. That will help us save lots of energy.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Space Age Trend
According to Wired, the metafabric goes beyond existing SPF-protective clothing. This absorbs ultraviolet light to protect the skin, but does not manage heat. Metafabric, on the other hand, does not have the same light-reflecting elements as SPF clothing but also has Teflon to reflect ultraviolet light. Metafabric, in fact, is the first textile to employ the same heat protection principles as paints protecting the exteriors of buildings or spaceships.
It is, in essence, a mirror, Ma explained to Wired.
Wired points out that the biggest challenge will be to get metafabric-based clothing on shelves and convincing people to spend the extra for nanoparticle-infused clothing. If it succeeds, however, we may all be able turn the AC back a bit and keep climate change from getting worse.
READ MORE: Can this sun-reflecting fabric help fight climate change? [Wired]
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advanced textiles: A new smart fabric can transform clothing into a huge screen
