Posted May 17, 2016

 

By Seshadri Ramkumar

 

LUBBOCK, Texas – Wearable nano-array embedded personal cooling vests are on the horizon.

 

A team of researchers at Penn State, led by Qing Wang, professor of materials science and engineering, has created nanowire material that could cool with electric field, which is safe for humans. Such nano-arrays are lightweight and flexible enough to be embedded in firefighter gears, athlete dresses, etc.

 

The nano-arrays are made up of ferroelectric barium strontium titanate, which can cool to about 5.5 degree Fahrenheit using 36 volts. Ferroelectric polymers used earlier by others require electric field that are not within the safety limits for human beings.

 

The researchers state that just a 500 gram battery can power the nano-arrays for two hours, which is sufficient for people who do moderate exercise. An important advancement with this wearable technology is that it does not require regeneration of coolants and hence avoids ozone depletion.

 

The US National Science Foundation research at Penn State showcases further advancements in the field of wearable textiles. Wearable textiles field is getting considerable attention in the United States with the recent creation of $317 million Revolutionary Fibers & Textiles Manufacturing Innovation Institute (RFT-MII), a public-private partnership consortium at led by MIT.

 

Dr. Seshadri Ramkumar, Ph.D, FTA (honorary), is a professor at the Nonwovens & Advanced Materials Laboratory at Texas Tech.

Penn State research

Wearable cooling vests on the horizon