A team of researchers from China’s Shanghai University has created a “smart window” designed to regulate temperature fluctuations. Created to better the environment, the window combines transparency with the capabilities of a solar panel, and thus requires no external power to work.
The team, headed by Yanfeng Gao, sought to create a window that responded to temperature, a window whose optical properties would change without requiring the use of an external power source. The window is yet one more piece that brings the world closer to creating self-sustainable, environmentally savvy homes and buildings.
To do this, Gao’s team sealed a thin layer of vanadium oxide between two layers of polycarbonate, in effect creating a giant eyeglass lens modified to disperse or dispel heat. Up to temperatures of 154ºF, the panels allowed heat to pass through and appeared transparent. When the temperature rises above this threshold, the layer of vanadium oxide turns metallic—though still transparent to the naked eye—and begins to block heat, reflecting the infrared wavelength.
New Smart window responds to temperature
This light is scattered to the edges of the panel, where it filters into a photovoltaic cell that can be used to power lamps or other devices in the home. During their experiment, Gao and his researchers wee able to power a 1.5-V lamp from only a few inches of smart glass.
While one of Gao’s smart windows will definitely be more expensive than a regular window, studies (including one conducted by Gao’s research team) have shown that most buildings absorb around 30 to 40% of human-produced energy, energy that then goes to heating, cooling, and lighting. Because of this, a smart window could actually bring costs down, even when it comes with an expensive price tag.
The team’s reseach is available for further review in Scientific Reports.
Source: Discovery.com
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