Self-Cooling Paint ™ – A Passive Radiative Cooling Solution

Self-Cooling Paint™ allows outdoor, sky-facing coated surfaces to be significantly cooler than the ambient temperature.

Part of SRI’s Climate Tech portfolio, Self-Cooling Paint represents a significant advance in surface cooling performance beyond other technologies such as reflective paints. We believe it will make a tremendous impact on the increasing need for affordable and accessible cooling solutions to mitigate the increasing intensity of global heat waves.

The Challenge 

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the frequency, duration, and intensity of heat waves has been increasing. This can lead to discomfort and negative health effects for people, potential problems for the functioning of outdoor equipment, and an increase in energy consumption as active cooling technologies such as air conditioning are increasingly used. The cooling of living and working spaces requires a lot of energy – building cooling in the US alone accounts for 4.3 quads per year. There’s a dire need for innovative cooling solutions.

Excellent Performance

Self-Cooling Paint is a passive radiative cooling solution – without requiring any power or electricity, it can cool down any surface up to 5-8 ºC ( 8-12ºF) below ambient air temperature, and 10-15 ºC (18-25 ºF) below an uncoated surface based on internal tests*. Achieving sub-ambient temperature is significant, and has been accomplished by engineering a coating that combines high solar reflectance with high infrared emittance in the sky transparency window.

Self-Cooling Paint radiates heat away, rather than absorbing it or merely reflecting sunlight as white paints can. The cooling power during the day in summer is on the order of 100 W/m² based on internal tests.

Self-Cooling Paint has been field-tested on a variety of surfaces including aluminum, steel, and flexible tent canvas, and consistently generates excitement and enthusiasm with our R&D testing partners.

…And Still Getting Better

In development for nearly 10 years, this coating has been continually improved and optimized in our lab by a team of chemistry and materials science experts based on feedback from testing partners.

Benefits

• A passive solution – requires no power or electricity to provide a cooling effect
• Affordable, easily adopted, and practical for many outdoor use cases
• Water-based – safer for the user and the environment compared to solvent-based formulations, as well as being more compatible with regulatory requirements. Contains no/low VOCs and no PFAS chemicals.
• Simple to apply (spray, roller, brush)
• Can be easily cleaned off with water
• Excellent mechanical properties – good adhesion, does not flake off
• Tested on many different substrates

Potential Applications

This paint can be tailored for specific outdoor applications such as:

• Electronics enclosures
• Aerospace/drones
• Power generation
• Textiles
• Architectural use
• Tents
• Storage tanks
• Automotive

Want to try it?

FIELD TESTING: Our Self-Cooling Paint is currently available for field testing. Please complete the form here to express your interest.

Additional Information

For any additional information about testing or licensing, please contact us to discuss your interest and specific requirements.

Read more about our Self-Cooling Paint by downloading our Information Sheet.

Article on SRI site: https://www.sri.com/press/story/sris-new-paint-provides-a-sustainable-passive-cooling-solution/

* Others may see results that vary from our internal tests – as with any coating, cooling performance varies based on the application and surrounding conditions, including weather.