Phys.org  August 14. 2023 Space heating and cooling consume ~13% of global energy every year. To thermally isolate the space of concern and minimize the heat exchange with the outside environment has been recognized as one effective solution. Researchers at Stanford University developed a universal category of colorful low-emissivity paints to form bilayer coatings consisting of an infrared (IR)-reflective bottom layer and an IR-transparent top layer in colors. High mid-infrared reflectance (up to ~80%) was achieved, which is more than 10 times as conventional paints in the same colors, efficiently reducing both heat gain and loss from/to the outside environment. […]