UCI engineers develop material with heat regulation properties
Drawing design inspiration from the skin of stealthy sea creatures, engineers at the University of California, Irvine have developed a next-generation, adaptive space blanket that gives users the ability to control their temperature. The innovation is detailed in a study published today in Nature Communications.
“Ultra-lightweight space blankets have been around for decades – you see marathon runners wrapping themselves in them to prevent the loss of body heat after a race – but the key drawback is that the material is static,” said co-author Alon Gorodetsky, UCI associate professor of chemical & biomolecular engineering. “We’ve made a version with changeable properties so you can regulate how much heat is trapped or released.”
The UCI researchers took design cues from various species of squids, octopuses and cuttlefish that use their adaptive, dynamic skin to thrive in aquatic environments. A cephalopod’s unique ability to camouflage itself by rapidly changing color is due, in part, to skin cells called chromatophores that can instantly change from minute points to flattened disks.
“We use a similar concept in our work, where we have a layer of these tiny metal ‘islands’ that border each other,” said lead author Erica Leung, a UCI graduate student in chemical & biomolecular engineering. “In the relaxed state, the islands are bunched together and the material reflects and traps heat, like a traditional Mylar space blanket. When the material is stretched, the islands spread apart, allowing infrared radiation to go through and heat to escape.”
Gorodetsky said he has many more applications in mind for the novel material: as reflective inserts in buildings to provide an insulation layer that adapts to different environmental conditions; to fabricate tents that would be exceptionally good at keeping occupants comfortable outdoors; and to effectively manage the temperature of valuable electronic components.
Clothing would be a particularly fitting application for the new, bio-inspired material, according to Gorodetsky, who collaborates on research projects with counterparts at athletic apparel manufacturer Under Armour Inc.
“The temperature at which people are comfortable in an office is slightly different for everyone. Where one person might be fine at 70 degrees, the person at the next desk over might prefer 75 degrees,” he said. “Our invention could lead to clothing that adjusts to suit the comfort of each person indoors. This could result in potential savings of 30 to 40 percent on heating and air conditioning energy use.”
And those marathon runners who wrap themselves in space blankets might be able to type in a number on a garment-integrated user interface to achieve the desired level of thermal comfort, optimizing performance during races and recovery afterward.
Other benefits Leung mentioned include the material’s light weight, ease and low cost of manufacturing, and durability. She noted that it can be stretched and returned to its original state thousands of times.
Learn more: Squid skin inspires creation of next-generation space blanket
The Latest on: Space blanket
[google_news title=”” keyword=”space blanket” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Space blanket
- Spell Blanket - Collected Demos 2006 - 2009on May 7, 2024 at 9:02 pm
Thirteen years after Trish Keenan’s death, a collection of her demos, home recordings, and voice notes offers an intimate and at times heartbreaking look at her otherworldly genius.
- Could we use a space umbrella to cool down the planet?on May 7, 2024 at 1:00 am
Literally blocking out the sun may sound extreme, but scientists are debating whether using dust particles to reflect sunlight away from the Earth could be a temporary solution if climate change gets ...
- James Webb Space Telescope forecasts clouds of melted rock on this blisteringly hot exoplaneton May 1, 2024 at 11:30 am
"WASP-43b is a reminder of the vast range of climates that are possible on exoplanets and the many ways in which Earth is special." ...
- Romania’s Fields of Gold Captured From Spaceon April 30, 2024 at 6:30 pm
Agricultural plots are carpeted in yellow when rapeseed or canola plants bloom. Green agricultural fields in southern Romania became tinged with yellow as rows upon rows of what appear to be rapeseed ...
- How Jazz Fest's Rolling Stones Thursday will be different: no blankets! Altered schedule!on April 30, 2024 at 5:00 pm
In order to maximize space and mobility at the Festival Stage and prevent attendees from claiming plots, the festival has announced special restrictions. No blankets or tarps are allowed at Jazz Fest ...
- Clouds blanket the night side of the hot exoplanet WASP-43bon April 30, 2024 at 8:17 am
Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), a team of astronomers, including scientists from MPIA, constructed a global temperature map of the hot, gas giant exoplanet WASP-43b. The nearby parent ...
- The 5 Best Infrared Sauna Blankets, Tested & Reviewedon April 28, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Lauren K. Tappan is a freelance writer with several years of experience in the magazine industry. In her current role, she identifies trends and curates shopping guides for a variety of ...
- The Best Blankets For Snuggling Anytime: Our Tested Roundupon April 25, 2024 at 7:01 am
The only downside is that the Elegear must be dried by hanging it up. The larger sizes can be difficult to dry if your home lacks space to hang it. Get the Elegear blanket at Amazon or Elegear. The ...
- A zero-trust approach to space cybersecurity could be the answeron April 24, 2024 at 6:29 pm
You hear a lot about zero trust controls in government tech circles. Could this approach to cybersecurity be applied to protecting space assets?
- Move Over, Honey. Teddy Is Getting In.on April 24, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Sharing a bed with a partner sometimes means making way for a beloved stuffed animal or blanket, too. By Hilary Sheinbaum Hilary Sheinbaum is a journalist and author who does not sleep with a ...
via Bing News