VOA慢速英语: 高新技术材料给建筑降温，将热量送入太空

高新技术材料给建筑降温，将热量送入太空

Researchers at Stanford University have developed a new material that can move heat out of buildings and into space. The researchers say the material can cool buildings even on hot days.

斯坦福大学的研究者研发了一种新材料，能够把建筑中的热量送到太空中。研究人员称即使在热天，这种材料也能给建筑物降温。

The cooling material is a very thin sheet with many layers that could be placed on a roof like solar panels. However, instead of turning sunlight into energy as solar panels do, the material turns heat into infrared radiation.

这种降温的材料是一种薄板，有很多层能都像太阳能板一样放在屋顶。然而，不像太阳能板那样将太阳光转化成热能，这种材料把热量转换成红外线。

Shanhui Fan is an electrical engineering professor at Stanford University. He says that the panels have a layer of material that is like sand. He says that the panels act like a mirror. They take heat out of buildings and reflect the light from the sun. He says both the heat and sunlight are sent 100 kilometers into outer space.

Shanhui Fan是斯坦福大学的电子工程系教授，他说面板有一层类似沙子的材料。这个面板的工作原理就像一面镜子，把建筑中的热量弄出来，让后通过光线反射出去。将这种热量和光线都送到100千米外的太空。

"It's a structure that cools itself without electricity input, even under the sun. So, what it does is basically radiate heat to outer space and also reflect the sunlight so it doesn't get heated up by the sun. And the net result is you get something that if you put on the roof will have a temperature below ambient air temperature by a significant amount."

“这是不用输送电，甚至在太阳下就能够自身冷却的一种结构。所以，这种材料能够将热量释放到外太空，同样反射太阳光。而不是靠太阳得到热量。结果是假如你把这种材料放在屋顶，那么你周围的室内温度将会低于建筑外围的温度。”

The panels are cool to the touch, even in the sun. Researchers say they can reduce the indoor temperature to nearly 5 degrees Celsius below the temperature outside.

这种材料板即使在太阳底下摸起来也很凉爽。研究者称他们能够使室内的温度比室外的温度低将近5摄氏度。

Mr. Fan says it is like having a window into space. He says the heat is sent directly into space without warming the air.

Shanhui Fan说这就像是通向太空的一扇窗户。热量直接传到外太空而不会使空气温度升高。

He says buildings in developing countries that do not have electricity or air conditioning could use the panels.

他说发展中国家的建筑物没有电力或者空调能够使用这种面板材料。

“In areas where one is off-grid, there is a significant potential benefit for storing medicine or even food. In many of these situations, being able to reduce the temperature is important. And this would provide a way to do it."

“在一定区域存在脱离电网后，能够储存药物甚至是食物的话，具有一定潜在优势。在这种情况下，降温就很重要。开发研究这种材料提供了一种做事方式。”

The Stanford researchers described their technology in the science publication Nature. They say the main problem is creating actual cooling systems using the high-tech panels. They say it may be possible to develop a cooling spray that could be used on existing solid structures.

斯坦福大学的研究人员在科学期刊《自然》上描述了他们的这种技术。面临的主要问题是使用高新技术面板建立真正的冷却系统。可能的话，研发一种能够用在现有的固体结构上的冷却喷雾。

The researchers believe the cooling spray technology could be developed in the next three to five years. They say as much as 15 percent of the energy used in the United States is spent providing power to air conditioning systems.

研究人员相信冷却喷雾技术能够在未来三至五年研发成功。他们说在美国，使用的15%的能量为空调系统提供能源。

I’m Jonathan Evans.

我是乔纳森·伊凡斯。

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Words in This Story

air conditioning – n. a system used for cooling and drying the air in a building, room, etc.

infrared – adj. producing or using rays of light that cannot be seen and that are longer than rays that produce red light

radiation – n. energy that comes from a source in the form of waves or rays you cannot see

solar panel – n. a large, flat piece of equipment that uses the sun's light or heat to create electricity