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Freedom251 › Blog › air conditioning

How Battery-Separator Material Could Help People Keep Cool

By Freedom251 Team · · 10 min read

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A 2016 study adapted nanoporous polyethylene (nanoPE), a material associated with lithium-ion battery separators, into a textile that lets mid-infrared heat from skin pass through while scattering visible light. A simulated-skin device read 2.7°C lower under nanoPE than cotton, and a later controlled study with 18 women found lower skin temperatures in several indoor conditions. Those results describe laboratory and controlled-room tests—not proof that a widely available cooling shirt or guaranteed household energy saving already exists.

What the battery material is

Nanoporous polyethylene, or nanoPE, is polyethylene containing a very large number of microscopic pores. Polyethylene is already used in lithium-ion battery separator films, where the separator keeps the electrodes apart while allowing ions to move through the cell. The cooling concept repurposes that material platform as a wearable textile rather than as a battery component.

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The 2016 team led by Po-Chun Hsu reported a pore-size distribution of 50 to 1,000 nanometers. That range is central to the proposed cooling effect. The pores are far smaller than the wavelengths of visible light, so the structure can scatter incoming visible light and look opaque. At the same time, the pores interact differently with the longer mid-infrared wavelengths emitted by a warm human body, allowing much of that radiation to pass through.

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In the paper’s words, nanoPE is “transparent to mid-infrared human body radiation but opaque to visible light because of the pore size distribution (50 to 1000 nanometers).” The material therefore aims to solve two problems at once: let thermal radiation escape without making the garment transparent to other people, and retain enough textile qualities for ordinary wear.

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The contemporary report described the experimental material as a nonwoven structure. The researchers said they were working toward a woven version that would feel more like a conventional fabric. That statement records the development stage at the time; it does not establish that a commercial woven garment is now sold.

How radiative cooling through clothing works

Body heat has more than one escape route

People lose heat through several mechanisms, including conduction to nearby surfaces, moving air, evaporation of sweat and thermal radiation. A shirt can reduce or increase each pathway depending on its thickness, moisture behavior, air movement and optical properties. NanoPE focuses on radiation: the body emits infrared energy, and a fabric that transmits part of that energy could reduce the heat retained next to the skin.

Ordinary cotton is not transparent in the relevant infrared sense. Fibers and the air spaces in a cotton cloth absorb, emit and scatter thermal radiation, so some body heat is exchanged with the fabric before eventually reaching the room. NanoPE’s engineered pores are intended to provide a more direct optical path for mid-infrared radiation.

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Why the garment can remain visually opaque

Visible light and thermal infrared light occupy different wavelength ranges. The nanoPE pores are small enough to scatter visible wavelengths, which prevents the material from acting like a clear plastic sheet. The same geometry can transmit longer infrared wavelengths more readily. Chemistry World described demonstrations in which a heated element was viewed through the material and a metal wire shaped like an H remained visible through nanoPE but disappeared behind cotton. That is a reported demonstration of the optical contrast, not an independent consumer-product test.

Radiation is not the same as air conditioning

Radiative transmission can help only when the surrounding environment can accept the emitted infrared energy. In a room with warm walls, direct sun or high humidity, the net heat flow may differ from a cool indoor environment. A fabric that transmits radiation also has to remain wearable: air permeability, moisture transport, mechanical strength, laundering durability and comfort all matter. The 2016 team reported processing the material to provide air permeability, water-wicking capacity and mechanical strength, but those statements describe a research textile rather than a verified retail specification.

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What the 2016 experiment actually showed

The temperature differences came from simulated skin

Hsu and coauthors built a device that simulated skin temperature and compared coverings. Under that setup, the surface temperature was 2.7°C lower with nanoPE cloth than with cotton. A processed nanoPE cloth produced a 2.0°C lower reading than cotton. These are substantial differences for the instrument arrangement, but they are not measurements from people wearing shirts outdoors or in homes.

The distinction matters because a heated test device does not sweat, move, change posture or generate metabolic heat. It also cannot reproduce every interaction between fabric, skin, air gaps and room surfaces. The numbers should therefore be read as evidence that the material’s optical design can alter heat transfer under controlled conditions, not as a promise that a wearer will feel exactly 2.7°C cooler.

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Untreated and processed material are different comparisons

The report gives separate results for nanoPE cloth and processed nanoPE cloth. Processing can change pore structure, thickness, surface texture, strength and moisture handling. A comparison that uses one form of the material should not automatically be applied to another form, and neither result establishes performance for a future woven version.

What later testing in people found

A later controlled indoor study compared a nanoPE shirt with a same-pattern cotton shirt. Eighteen female participants completed eight 80-minute trials. The test rooms were set to 23, 25, 27 and 29°C, with relative humidity at 60% and air velocity below 0.10 m/s.

In that specific protocol, the nanoPE shirt produced significantly lower mean skin, upper-torso and forearm temperatures at 23, 25 and 27°C. The abstract does not turn those findings into a universal comfort threshold, and the 29°C condition did not receive the same stated significance for all measures. Participant number, sex, trial duration, clothing pattern and still-air conditions all define the boundaries of the result.

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The study also estimated that an acceptable air-conditioning setpoint could be 1.5°C higher when the nanoPE shirt was used, corresponding to projected cooling-energy savings of 9% to 15% under its conditions. Those are modeled or estimated outcomes linked to that controlled experiment. They are not guaranteed savings for every building, climate, thermostat or wearer.

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NanoPE and cotton: what can actually be compared

Comparison point Nanoporous polyethylene Cotton reference
Optical behavior described in the studies Designed to transmit mid-infrared body radiation while scattering visible light Used as the comparison fabric; it does not provide the same engineered infrared-transmission behavior in these tests
2016 temperature result 2.7°C lower than cotton for nanoPE cloth in a simulated-skin device; 2.0°C lower for processed nanoPE cloth Reference covering in the same simulated-skin setup
Human study Same-pattern shirt tested with 18 female participants over eight 80-minute trials Same-pattern control shirt in that study
Reported human outcome Lower mean skin, upper-torso and forearm temperatures at 23, 25 and 27°C in the stated indoor protocol Higher readings than nanoPE for those comparisons
Textile development status in the 2016 report Nonwoven research structure; woven development was described as ongoing Established conventional textile form
Current retail availability established by the cited material Not established Widely familiar as a textile, but the studies do not rank all cotton garments or weaves

This table supports a narrow comparison with the cotton controls used in the cited experiments. It does not establish that nanoPE outperforms every modern cooling fabric, sports shirt or moisture-management weave.

Why the indoor conditions matter

Still air favors a controlled comparison

Air velocity below 0.10 m/s minimizes drafts and convective differences between shirts. That helps isolate fabric effects, but it is unlike many real situations: walking outdoors, riding in a vehicle, working near a fan or exercising all create air movement. In those settings, ventilation and sweat evaporation may become more important than radiative transmission.

Humidity changes evaporation

The human study held relative humidity at 60%. At higher humidity, sweat evaporates less readily; at lower humidity, evaporation can carry away more heat if the garment and airflow permit it. Because humidity was controlled, the reported skin-temperature differences should not be treated as a complete map of performance across humid summers, dry heat or tropical climates.

Room temperature sets the thermal gradient

The trials covered 23 to 29°C. Radiative cooling depends on the temperature and infrared properties of surrounding surfaces, not only on the air-temperature number on a thermostat. A sunlit wall, a cold window or a crowded room can change the balance. The study’s 1.5°C setpoint result belongs to its indoor environment and acceptability criteria.

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What the material could mean for air-conditioning use

If a shirt allows more body radiation to leave, occupants may tolerate a slightly warmer thermostat setting while reporting similar comfort. The controlled study’s estimate—1.5°C higher acceptable setpoint and 9% to 15% cooling-energy savings—illustrates the potential system-level benefit. It does not mean a shirt automatically cuts a home’s electricity bill by that percentage.

Actual savings would depend on the building’s cooling equipment, climate, insulation, occupancy, thermostat schedule and how many occupants wear the fabric. A higher setpoint can also affect humidity control and equipment cycling. Any real deployment would need measurements in the target building rather than transferring the laboratory estimate unchanged.

Yi Cui, a Stanford professor of materials science and engineering quoted in the contemporary report, said, “We would like to find a way to better cool off the human body so we can save the energy of air conditioning.” That goal explains why personal radiative cooling is attractive: cooling the person can require less energy than lowering the temperature of an entire room.

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What is known about comfort and wearability

The researchers reported air permeability, water-wicking capacity and mechanical strength as design targets for the processed textile. Those properties address obvious objections to a plastic-derived fabric, but the available findings do not provide a complete consumer comfort profile.

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  • No cited result establishes long-term softness, odor retention, skin irritation rates or laundering life.
  • No cited result measures performance after repeated stretching, abrasion or contamination with sunscreen and body oils.
  • No cited result shows how the material behaves under direct sunlight, outdoor wind, heavy exercise or rain.
  • No cited result verifies that a woven version reached the same infrared behavior as the nonwoven research structure.

These are not proof of a problem; they are unanswered product questions. A research textile can meet a thermal target while still requiring substantial engineering before it is suitable for everyday clothing.

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Is a nanoPE cooling shirt available now?

The 2016 account described a nonwoven research material and said a woven form was being developed. The evidence available here does not verify a current retail nanoPE cooling garment, a standard commercial specification or a dependable source for consumers. Readers should be skeptical of any listing that uses the study’s 2.7°C figure as a guaranteed personal result without identifying the exact fabric construction and test method.

Battery-separator polyethylene itself is not automatically a finished apparel textile. Turning a separator material into clothing requires controlled pore structure, joining or coating methods, seams, dyes or finishes, sizing, washing procedures and safety evaluation. A product claim should identify which of those steps were used and whether the garment was tested on people rather than only on a heated surface.

How to evaluate future products making this claim

  1. Identify the material. Look for “nanoporous polyethylene” and a stated structure, rather than a vague reference to battery technology.
  2. Check the test subject. Distinguish simulated-skin measurements from human trials. A number from a heated plate is not a wearer temperature.
  3. Read the conditions. Note room temperature, humidity, air speed, trial length, clothing layers and participant characteristics.
  4. Separate thermal and comfort claims. Lower skin temperature does not by itself prove better sweat management, softness or freedom of movement.
  5. Ask how the fabric was processed. Untreated, processed and woven forms may not perform identically.
  6. Demand a comparison fabric. A claimed percentage improvement is meaningful only when the control, fit and protocol are disclosed.
  7. Treat energy figures as conditional. Building savings require a model or field measurement that matches the intended climate and HVAC system.

Common misunderstandings

“Battery material” does not mean a shirt contains a battery

The phrase refers to polyethylene used in lithium-ion battery separators. The cooling textile is a separate material application; it is not powered, heated or electronically controlled by a battery.

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“Transparent to body heat” does not mean transparent to people

The relevant transparency is in mid-infrared radiation. Visible light is scattered, so the material can remain visually opaque while transmitting thermal wavelengths.

A 2.7°C result is not a universal cooling rating

That value came from the 2016 simulated-skin device and a cotton comparison. It should not be converted into a promise about perceived temperature, outdoor conditions or every garment made from polyethylene.

Energy savings are not yet a household guarantee

The 9% to 15% estimate and 1.5°C setpoint change came from a later controlled study. They describe what was projected under that study’s conditions, not an assured result for every air-conditioning system.

Bottom line

NanoPE is a credible example of materials engineering aimed at personal radiative cooling: its 50–1,000-nanometer pores are designed to pass mid-infrared body radiation while scattering visible light. A simulated-skin experiment and a later indoor study with human participants both found advantages over cotton in their defined setups. The practical opportunity is to keep a wearer comfortable at a higher room temperature, potentially reducing air-conditioning demand.

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The evidence remains bounded. The strongest temperature numbers come from controlled tests, the human study involved 18 women under specified indoor conditions, and the cited development report described a nonwoven prototype with woven work still in progress. Current consumer availability and real-world performance were not established, so nanoPE should be understood as a promising research direction rather than a proven, widely sold cooling garment.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

air conditioningbattery materialsnanoporous polyethyleneradiative coolingtextile sciencewearable technology

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