Ultra-black coatings and paints like Vantablack have gotten a lot of attention in recent years. What the world needs now is to cool off  (we've hit an unprecedented point in global warming), and a new white paint developed by engineers at Purdue University could help.

The paint reflects 95.5% of sunlight and "can keep surfaces up to 18 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than their ambient surroundings," said Purdue in a statement this week. That's something commercial heat-reflecting white paints haven't been able to achieve.  

The researchers published their results in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science. 

"Your air conditioning kicks on mainly due to sunlight heating up the roof and walls and making the inside of your house feel warmer. This paint is basically creating free air conditioning by reflecting that sunlight and offsetting those heat gains from inside your house," said study co-author Joseph Peoples.