China's official Global Times (April 9, 2019) disclosed that Zhang Xuetong, leader of the research team from the Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, had said they will continue to research stealth and camouflage materials that can hide from a broad spectrum of electromagnetic waves, after they successfully fabricated a material that can hide a hot object from heat-sensing infrared cameras. The new material is a kind of aerogel film which has good thermal insulation properties that aare enhanced by coating its fibers with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and a protective waterproof layer. Zhang Xuetong said compared with existing materials, the new material is lighter, more robust and flexible. It can be widely applied in the military and technology fields. For example, it can serve as a heat insulator for electronic components and battery separators, applications as well as for research. A Beijing-based military analyst who asked for anonymity told the Global Times that the material can be used to paint military vehicles or be used in military clothing. Zhang Xuetong said to hide a hot object from heat-sensing infrared cameras was a great challenge in the past decades as everything in nature radiates infrared light. With PEG, the new material can absorb heat from the sun and prevent the target's temperature from rising, so it can hide from infrared cameras in the day. At night, the material slowly releases heat, which will make the target's temperature rise to match the surrounding environment.
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