Preventing Greenhouse Effect of 'Jjimttangcha' with Eco-Friendly Materials

On the 31st, marking the beginning of the peak summer vacation season, Gapyeong Rest Area on the Seoul-Yangyang Expressway heading towards Yangyang is bustling with vehicles of travelers heading on vacation. / Gapyeong = Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] An eco-friendly structure that can prevent the greenhouse effect occurring inside vehicles under the hot summer sun has been developed. It is expected to be used as a cooling material to block heat generation from vehicle roofs or electronic devices.

The National Research Foundation of Korea announced on the 3rd that a research team led by Professor Youngmin Song of the Department of Electrical, Electronics and Computer Engineering at Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology developed a 'Janus Radiative Cooler' composed of eco-friendly materials that can lower the temperature of enclosed spaces without external power. The research results were introduced on the 4th (local time) in the international journal Science Advances.

This cooler is a multilayer panel about 500μm thick, consisting of polymer (PDMS), silver (Ag), and quartz (SiO2) from top to bottom. The panel operates by silver reflecting sunlight, quartz absorbing internal heat, and the polymer emitting it in the form of electromagnetic waves. It blocks external heat while releasing internal heat outside, preventing the greenhouse effect occurring in enclosed spaces.

The research team reported that when this panel was applied to an actual vehicle roof (area 10㎠), the temperature inside the vehicle dropped by about 4℃, from 43℃ to 39℃. When converted to automobile power consumption reduction, this corresponds to about a 10% reduction. Existing passive radiative cooling material panels (such as aluminum and polymer) could only lower the surface temperature rather than the interior temperature of the vehicle.

The research team stated, "Due to the infrared thermal radiation characteristics where emission energy increases proportionally with area, cooling effects are expected even in large volumes like vehicles."

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