Even in Dark Purple, It Keeps the Body Cool : This New Technology Works Without Electricity

New Delhi : During summer, people generally prefer wearing white or light-coloured clothes because dark-coloured fabrics are believed to absorb more sunlight and make the body feel hotter. But scientists have now challenged this conventional idea.

Researchers from China and Australia have developed a special dark-purple ‘cooling fabric’ that can help keep the body cool even under intense sunlight. Remarkably, the fabric can remain around 6.2°C cooler than ordinary cotton fabric without using electricity.

This innovative fabric is the result of a joint effort by researchers from Zhengzhou University in China and the University of Adelaide in Australia.
The main objective of the research was to develop clothing that could provide real cooling and comfort while allowing people to wear their preferred darker colours, rather than being limited to white or light-coloured clothing during hot weather.

Developing a dark-coloured cooling fabric was a major scientific challenge. Purple fabrics normally absorb part of visible light to create their colour. However, researchers developed a structure that maintains the purple appearance while reducing the amount of solar heat absorbed.

One of the most remarkable features of the new fabric is its solar reflectivity. According to the research, the fabric can reflect around 87.6% of solar radiation.

It can also emit around 96.4% of mid-infrared radiation. This allows the fabric to release heat rather than retain it, helping it stay cooler.

How Does This ‘Cooling Technology’ Work ?

The special fabric is made using extremely fine fibres along with advanced materials.
🔹 Purple Metal-Organic Framework: Helps give the fabric its distinctive purple colour.
🔹 Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles: Help reflect solar radiation and control heat.
🔹 Radiative Cooling: The fabric releases heat from the body in the form of infrared radiation. This can provide a cooling effect without requiring electricity.

The fabric is not only designed to provide cooling but also to remain comfortable to wear. It is lightweight, flexible and breathable, which can help manage sweat and moisture.

Because of these properties, such cooling fabrics could potentially benefit workers exposed to extreme heat, athletes, traffic police, delivery workers and other outdoor workers in the future.

If this technology can be brought into large-scale commercial production, it could significantly change the design and use of summer clothing. The idea of keeping the body cool without relying on air conditioners or electricity-powered cooling systems could become an attractive option for heat-prone cities and regions.

The research shows that dark-coloured clothing does not necessarily have to mean hotter clothing. With the right scientific design and materials, fashion, comfort and cooling could potentially go hand in hand.