The United States and Chinese researchers have developed a new type of film that adheres to glass and can transmit light normally, but if the temperature exceeds 32 degrees Celsius, it will automatically become translucent and reflect sunlight. Applying this film on windows will help Building energy saving.
Fang Xuanlai, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Department of Mechanical Engineering, said that smart windows on the market now have "electrochromic" windows, but they need electrical energy to change the light transmission of glass, so it is not good in terms of energy saving.
Fang Xuanlai and researchers at the University of Hong Kong, China have discovered a "thermochromic" material that is transparent at low temperatures, but if the temperature exceeds 32 degrees Celsius, the internal structure will change and become translucent. At this time it can reflect 70% of the solar heat.
Experiments show that the temperature inside the calorimetry chamber without a thin film can reach 38.9 degrees Celsius under the illumination of a light source simulating sunlight, and the temperature inside the calorimeter is only 33.9 degrees Celsius with this kind of film. Therefore, researchers believe that the application of this film on building windows can help reduce air conditioning costs and save energy.