Blog Blender

A roof paint blocks 97% of sunlight and pulls water from the air

A roof paint blocks 97% of sunlight and pulls water from the air.

Researchers at the University of Sydney and commercial start-up Dewpoint Innovations have created a nano-engineered polymer coating that not only reflects up to 97% of the sun’s rays, but also passively collects water. In tests, it was able to keep indoors up to 6 °C (~11 °F) cooler than the air outside.

That temperature differential results in water vapor condensing on the surface – like the fogging on a cold mirror – producing a steady trickle of droplets.

In trials on the roof of the Sydney Nanoscience Hub, the coating captured dew more than 30% of the year, generating as much as 390 mL of water per square meter (roughly 13 fluid ounces per 10.8 square feet) daily. This might not sound like a lot, but a 12-sq-m (about 129-sq-ft) section of treated roof could produce around 4.7 L (around 1.25 US gallons) of water per day under optimal conditions.

PJH Studios artwork, Portrait of a sun

PJH Studios

Movies, music, books, whiskey, and culture in a blog blender

  • A roof paint blocks 97% of sunlight and pulls water from the air

    A roof paint blocks 97% of sunlight and pulls water from the air. Researchers at the University of Sydney and commercial start-up Dewpoint Innovations have created a nano-engineered polymer coating that not only reflects up to 97% of the sun’s rays, but also passively collects water. In tests, it was able to keep indoors up…

  • Clever use of light and dark mode

    Almost any modern web application or desktop application offers near the ability to switch between light and dark mode. In Common With applies this in a clever way when displaying a page of lamps.

  • Defying roller coaster tycoon gravity

    YouTuber, Tube Cody, created a video of a pair of roller coasters in Rollercoaster Tycoon synchronized to Wicked’s, Defying Gravity. Stick with it until at least a 2 1/2 minute mark.

  • Life in Russia isn’t all that great

    Two American families moved to Russia, and are finding out it’s really not all that good of a place. But things weren’t hunky dory. In videos since deleted but viewed by NBC News, the family was distraught when Huffman, instead of being able to use his welding skills in a special engineering division of the…

  • Inside the Great British Bake Off

    An insightful essay about the behind-the-scenes of what it takes to get into the Great British Bake Off. During the next couple of months, I inched closer to the show. I cleared interviews with home economists who quizzed me on the finer points of baking technique—how to tell when a meringue was done cooking, or…

  • 2025 Dark Sky photography winners

    2025 Dark Sky photography winners. The cool thing about this collection are the technical details in the locations about the photos.

  • The logistics of feeding Alaska

    Feeding the population of Alaska is a logistical endeavor, only made harder by all of the tariffs. Getting fresh food to Alaska has been a challenge since the first settlers began scratching in the creek beds for gold. It was just too far from the continent’s more populated areas, separated from the contiguous United States…

  • The perfect grocery store shopping list app does not exist

    Planning a grocery shopping list seems like a thing technology could solve. But the complex the needs of meal ingredients, family budgets, how grocery stores are set up differently everywhere… It’s a recipe for insanity.

  • Setlist.FM changing concerts

    Setlist.FM has been around quite a while. For music in concert nerds, it’s an awesome way to follow an artist as they tour. And it’s changing how artist put together their setlists. For musicians who regularly change their set list, it allows them to check what they last played the last time they were in…

  • 21 tips to host a party

    21 tips to host a party. 18) To leave a group conversation, just slowly step back and then step away. Don’t draw attention to your leaving or you’ll be pulled back in. It feels mildly weird to do this but it’s worth it. 19) Throughout the party, prioritize introducing people to each other and hosting…