In Brazil, the official record belongs to the municipality of Caçador, in Santa Catarina. On June 30, 1952, temperatures dropped to -14°C. However, unofficial measurements have reported even lower numbers, such as -17.8°C in Urubici, also in Santa Catarina.
Globally, the record is held by the Vostok Station, a Russian research station in Antarctica. On July 21, 1983, the temperature reached a staggering -89.2°C!
I haven’t experienced snow or extreme cold temperatures myself, but reports suggest that extreme cold can be painful, with a strange sensation of difficulty breathing. Some people even mention pain in their bones.
With those enduring freezing conditions in mind, scientists from the University of Waterloo, in Canada, have developed smart fabric that converts light into heat. Their experiments showed that this material can heat up to over 50°C.
How the Smart Fabric Works
The researchers used photothermal polymers, substances similar to plastic that can convert light into heat. They incorporated nanoparticles of these polymers into a matrix of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) fibers, commonly used in waterproof clothing and sportswear.
The team also added temperature-sensitive dyes (thermochromic dyes) to the mix, giving the fibers the ability to change color as the material’s temperature increases.
The goal is to use solar light as a heat source to warm the fabric of clothing.
The scientists tested the material by knitting a red sweater for a teddy bear and exposing it to sunlight. Within 10 minutes, the red color disappeared, turning white. Even more impressive, the temperature of the sweater rose from 20°C to 53.5°C!
Notably, the fabric is soft and elastic, allowing it to stretch up to five times its original size. According to the study, the sweater retained its color-changing and temperature-regulating properties even after 25 washes.
The findings were published in the journal Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials.
Potential Applications
A fabric that exceeds 50°C should only be used in very specific situations—not in the cold of places like Campos do Jordão, in São Paulo.
The purpose of such high temperatures is to balance things out in environments with temperatures below -20°C, like in snowy regions.
According to the researchers, these materials could be useful in mountain rescues or in cities that experience extremely harsh winters.
While wool and leather jackets can handle the cold in places like São Paulo, they don’t do much in subzero temperatures.
It’s worth mentioning that similar materials already exist, but they rely on expensive components like metallic nanomaterials or heating elements powered by batteries, which can be uncomfortable.
The Canadian team is currently working on preparing this new material for commercial production, though more testing is needed before it can be released to the public.
“The next steps of this research focus on reducing production costs, scaling up manufacturing, and ensuring that the fibers are safe for prolonged skin contact,” said Yuning Li, the chemical engineer and lead author of the study.
Information sourced from Live Science.
