Newly developed synthetic mat could one day cool buildings
(Phys.org)—Sweating is a conceivably simple and efficient process for cooling down the body. People and animals use it to avoid overheating in midsummer temperatures or after physical exertion. The process is now also to be used to cool buildings. Researchers from Wendelin Stark's group, a professor at the Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, have developed a mat with which they are looking to cover roofs. If it rains, the mat soaks up water like a sponge. If the mat becomes warm in the sunshine, it releases water at its surface – it "sweats". This extracts heat from the building and works in the same way as in us humans: when we perspire, glands in our skin secrete sweat, which gradually evaporates. For a bead of sweat to turn into vapour, it needs energy, which it extracts from the body in the form of heat.