Optical Metamaterials for Canopies and Roofs Princeton Docket #23- 4032/4035
Researchers at Princeton University’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering developed an innovative cooling technology to revolutionize urban heat management by using a novel roof design with unique thermal and optical properties. This is accomplished with a optical metamaterial which reflects sunlight and removes heat from the interior of the building faster than traditional roofing materials and architectures. The solution’s passive nature eliminates the need for energy-intensive air conditioning, reducing costs and carbon emissions. This technology offers significant advantages over current cooling methods, making it an attractive solution for addressing urban heat challenges. Traditional cooling architectures are impacted by convective heat gain and have large thermal mass that reduces their cooling abilities. By contrast, this innovative design lowers both of these effects, while reducing solar heating and radiatively losing heat to the sky, thus drawing heat more rapidly from the interiors and ensuring a rapid cooling. Additionally, the use of common polymers and pre-existing industrial manufacturing techniques makes its large-scale production feasible and cost-effective.
Applications • Passive cooling for urban environments • Sustainable design • Radiative cooling of roofs, canopies, and sky-facing surfaces
Advantages • Reduced cooling costs and carbon footprint • Energy efficient for urban heat-sink environments • Cost-effective and scalable production methods
Stage of development A physical protype has been designed to test proof of concept and preliminary research has been concluded. Publication https://www.cell.com/cell-reports-physical-science/fulltext/S2666-3864(24)00334-5
Inventors Jyotirmoy Mandal is an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Princeton University. His research focuses on the study of heat flows and thermal management in buildings and materials, aiming to enhance efficiency and performance in these areas. Dr. Mandal completed his Ph.D. in applied physics at Columbia University.
Intellectual Property & Development status Patent protection is pending. Princeton is currently seeking commercial partners for the further development and commercialization of this opportunity.
Contact Prabhpreet Gill Princeton University Office of Technology Licensing • (609)258-3653 • psgill@princeton.edu