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Not from a reliable household recipe. Purdue’s ultra-white cooling paint is a specific research composite: barium sulfate (BaSO4) particles in an acrylic matrix, engineered for high solar reflectance and heat emission. The published work reports strong results for that formulation, but does not establish that stirring ordinary barium sulfate powder into ordinary paint will reproduce them.
How Purdue’s cooling paint works
The paint is designed for passive daytime radiative cooling. It reflects much of the sunlight that would otherwise heat a surface, while emitting thermal energy through the part of the atmosphere known as the sky window. A bright white appearance alone does not establish that a coating will cool below ambient temperature: both solar reflectance and thermal emission matter.
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In the 2021 paper, the BaSO4-acrylic paint measured 98.1% solar reflectance and 0.95 emissivity in the atmospheric sky window. Those are measurements of the studied paint, not performance guarantees for other white coatings or homemade mixtures. The paper’s abstract and record and the full paper hosted by Purdue describe the formulation and testing.
What is in Purdue’s paint formulation?
It is a single-layer composite made with barium sulfate particles and an acrylic matrix. The paper reports a BaSO4 concentration of 60% by volume. Purdue’s account gives a selected average particle size of about 400 nanometres, while the design uses a deliberately broad particle-size distribution to scatter sunlight across a range of wavelengths. The high filler concentration and particle-size distribution are important features of the design, not incidental details.
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- Ideal for use on interior/exterior surfaces including wood, plastic, plaster, metal, masonry and unglazed ceramic
- Oil-based formula resists chips and provides long-lasting protection
- Dries to touch in 20 minutes and covers up to 12 sq. ft. per can
- Durable formula provides excellent hide and goes on smoothly
- Ultra matte finish gives projects a no-shine, vintage appearance
These parameters do not amount to a consumer-ready recipe. The sources do not provide validated household instructions that show how to substitute retail powder and paint, achieve the required particle distribution, or reproduce the published optical results. “Add barium sulfate to white paint” is therefore not an evidence-backed way to make Purdue’s cooling paint.
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Can it cool below ambient temperature?
The study reports field-test results for both a BaSO4 film and the paint, but the headline quantified result applies to the film: it stayed more than 4.5 °C below ambient temperature or achieved average cooling power of 117 W/m2 in the reported field tests. The paint is described as having similar cooling performance; those specific film figures should not be treated as results for a DIY mixture or assumed for every roof, climate, or application.
Rank #2
- Use for a variety of indoor and outdoor project surfaces including wood, metal, plaster, masonry or unglazed ceramic
- Water-based acrylic formula is low odor, resist chips and provides long-lasting protection
- Covers up to 30 sq ft and dries to touch in 30 minutes for quick project completion
- Semi-gloss finish minimizes surface imperfections, goes on smoothly and provides excellent hide
- Prior to application sand surfaces with 180/200 grit sandpaper, then wash with a degreaser, allow the surface to dry and apply paint
Purdue professor Xiulin Ruan also estimated that covering a hypothetical roof area of about 1,000 square feet with the paint could provide 10 kilowatts of cooling power. That is an attributed estimate, not a measured reduction in a household’s air-conditioning use or energy bill. Purdue reported the estimate in its April 15, 2021 account.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is the paint available to buy?
Purdue’s 2021 news account said patent applications had been filed, and the university’s Sustainable Energy and Nanoscale Transport Laboratory says it is working with partners toward commercialization. Neither source establishes that a finished product is currently available at retail. The sources also do not establish consumer-product details such as durability, application thickness, or compatibility with particular roof substrates.
Rank #3
- Use for a variety of indoor and outdoor project surfaces including wood, metal, plaster, masonry or unglazed ceramic
- Water-based acrylic formula is low odor, resist chips and provides long-lasting protection
- Covers up to 30 sq ft and dries to touch in 30 minutes for quick project completion. Paint/Stain Features: Washable, Waterproof
- Flat finish provides a fresh new look for surfaces, goes on smoothly and provides excellent hide
- Prior to application sand surfaces with 180/200 grit sandpaper, then wash with a degreaser, allow the surface to dry and apply paint
Even if you can find barium sulfate powder, that ingredient is not equivalent to the research-grade particles or finished coating. No validated home-mixing procedure or performance claim for generic powder and paint is established by the cited work. Purdue’s lab and Cooling Technologies Research Center pages provide the relevant institutional context: the lab and the center’s Cooling Paint page.
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