Ahmad Alduweesh, who joined UCL after earning a Master’s in Electrical Engineering from UC San Diego, was recognised at the European Optical Society Annual Meeting (EOSAM 2024) for his presentation titled "A novel approach for synthesizing super hydrophobic passive daytime radiative cooling material." While his previous research focused on semiconductor physics and solar cell technology, Ahmad transitioned into the exciting field of radiative cooling when he began his MPhil at UCL.
Ahmed is part of the Electronic Materials and Devices research group and is supervised by Prof Ioannis Papakonstantinou. His award-winning presentation highlighted a breakthrough material developed by his team. The material reflects 97% of solar radiation and has a high thermal atmospheric emissivity of 0.90, making it highly effective for passive cooling.
"This material represents a significant advancement," Ahmad said. "It could be used as a paint for buildings to reduce energy consumption by lowering the need for air conditioning."
The material has wide-ranging potential, with applications in various industries where maintaining a lower temperature than the surroundings is beneficial.
Ahmad and his team are now focused on further developing the material for commercial use, with the potential to revolutionise energy efficiency in building design and beyond.
Links
EOS Annual Meeting (EOSAM) 2024
Ahmad Alduweesh’s research profile
Electronic Materials and Devices group