New! Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Science News
from research organizations

'Smart windows' have potential to keep heat out and save energy

Date:
December 10, 2014
Source:
American Chemical Society
Summary:
Windows allow brilliant natural light to stream into homes and buildings. Along with light comes heat that, in warm weather, we often counter with energy-consuming air conditioning. Now scientists are developing a new kind of 'smart window' that can block out heat when the outside temperatures rise. The advance could one day help consumers better conserve energy on hot days and reduce electric bills.
Share:
FULL STORY

Windows allow brilliant natural light to stream into homes and buildings. Along with light comes heat that, in warm weather, we often counter with energy-consuming air conditioning. Now scientists are developing a new kind of "smart window" that can block out heat when the outside temperatures rise. The advance, reported in ACS' journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, could one day help consumers better conserve energy on hot days and reduce electric bills.

Xuhong Guo, Kaimin Chen, Yanfeng Gao and colleagues explain that researchers are pursuing smart windows that can respond to a variety of cues, including electricity, gas, light and heat. Those that are sensitive to heat are particularly useful for cutting down on energy use -- when it gets hot outside, the windows turn an opaque white to block unwanted heat from entering a building while still allowing light to pass. They become transparent again as temperatures drop. But current methods for making these windows use jelly-like materials called hydrogels that swell in the heat, which hurts performance. Guo's and Gao's teams wanted to address this flaw.

Building on previous advances, the researchers made a version of the hydrogels, but in the form of microscopic soft beads suspended in a liquid. They sandwiched the solution between two pieces of glass and tested it using a model house. When they shined a lamp mimicking solar light on the smart window, it turned opaque and kept the inside of the house cool. The microgel, however, didn't swell as much as its predecessor. The researchers conclude that their new microgel is a good candidate for use in future smart windows.


Story Source:

Materials provided by American Chemical Society. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Mi Wang, Yanfeng Gao, Chuanxiang Cao, Kaimin Chen, Yicun Wen, Dingye Fang, Li Li, Xuhong Guo. Binary Solvent Colloids of Thermosensitive Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Microgel for Smart Windows. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2014; 53 (48): 18462 DOI: 10.1021/ie502828b

Cite This Page:

American Chemical Society. "'Smart windows' have potential to keep heat out and save energy." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 10 December 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141210121409.htm>.
American Chemical Society. (2014, December 10). 'Smart windows' have potential to keep heat out and save energy. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 28, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141210121409.htm
American Chemical Society. "'Smart windows' have potential to keep heat out and save energy." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141210121409.htm (accessed March 28, 2024).

Explore More

from ScienceDaily

RELATED STORIES