Butterfly-inspired films create vibrant colors while passively cooling objects

Published by Optica on August 3, 2023

Inspired by the way that the Morpho butterfly creates color, researchers developed colorful cooling films that don’t absorb light and thus don’t heat up. Credit: Wanlin Wang, Shenzhen University 

On a hot summer day, white clothing feels cooler than other colors due to reflecting—not absorbing—sunlight. Other colors like blue or black, will undergo a heating effect as they absorb light. To circumvent this heating effect in colored cooling films, researchers drew inspiration from nanostructures in butterfly wings.  

The new films, which don't absorb any light, could be used on the outside of buildings, vehicles and equipment to reduce the energy needed for cooling while preserving vivid color properties. 

"In buildings, large amounts of energy are used for cooling and ventilation, and running the air conditioner in electric cars can reduce the driving range by more than half," said research team leader Wanlin Wang from Shenzhen University in China. "Our cooling films could help advance energy sustainability and carbon neutrality."

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