A team of scientists from Princeton University (USA) has developed a new technology to produce "smart" windows that can change its transparency depending on the brightness of the light. The resulting material may work at the expense of solar energy absorbed by the glass. The work on it, scientists told the journal Nature Energy.
"Smart" glass designed to reduce the costs of heating and cooling by changing the amount of energy that they pass and absorb. Existing technology of "smart" glasses require power, and they are difficult to install in buildings where it was not provided in advance. Proposed by scientists from Princeton glass works by the absorbed light in the near ultraviolet region of the spectrum.
"Use of near ultraviolet to power these glasses means that the solar cells may be transparent, to occupy the same area as that of ordinary glass without introducing restrictions on the design and appearance of the windows. Typically, solar cells are made of silicon and they are black because absorbs all visible light and the infrared radiation - so that they are not suitable for windows, "- said one of the authors, an engineer from Princeton University, Yue-Lin Lu.
"Wireless" smart "coatings can be pasted on the inside of the glass in the house or apartment. Then you can control the amount of sunlight that enters the room, using the phone application, which will increase efficiency, make your stay more comfortable and will protect privacy, "- commented co-author and colleague Lou Nikolas Devi.
