Researchers at the University of Maryland have created an innovative “cooling glass” designed to reduce indoor temperatures without using electricity. The revolutionary material works by harnessing the cold of space. The new technology, a microporous glass coating described in a paper published in the journal Science, can lower the material’s temperature to below 3.5 degrees Celsius at noon and has the potential to reduce annual carbon emissions by 10 %. According to the research team, led by Distinguished University Professor Liangbing Hu of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 10 % is equivalent to the annual carbon emissions of an average-sized apartment building.

Dual-function cooling mechanism
The coating works in two ways: First, it reflects up to 99% of the sun's radiation, so that buildings don't absorb heat. More interestingly, it radiates heat in the form of long-wave infrared radiation into the icy universe, where the temperature is usually around -270 degrees Celsius or a few degrees above absolute zero. (Sciences & Tech)