Super-glazing materials save millions of dollars in electricity

When the outdoor temperature is over 32 degrees Celsius, the film-glazed window becomes blurry, scattering 70% of the sun's incoming heat helps cool it on hot days.

Hot weather not only makes people feel uncomfortable but also reduces work efficiency, the first solution many people thought about was probably turning on the air conditioner. But turning on the air conditioner also means that the electricity bill becomes a burden for many households and offices.

In the United States alone, for one year, office buildings cost $ 29 billion for cooling equipment, even more as the global climate is heating up. Electricity for air-conditioning accounts for 6% of the total electricity expenditure of Americans, statistics show.

With this type of window film, the office will not have to spend a dong for electricity conditioning.(Photo: Pixabay).

However, with a new thermal film , Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has found an effective solution to this problem, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on electricity bills of buildings. office and households. This film is affixed to windows and helps to dissipate 70% of the heat from the sun. With this system, the team predicts companies and corporations can save an average of 10% of the cost of convenience.

Nicholas Fang, a professor of materials engineering, said covering film on window glass helps buildings passively cool but still ensure enough light passes through. He said that compared to current methods of blurring glass or installing expensive insulating glass, this new film coating is much more economical and efficient.

'The smart windows on the market today are often ineffective in reflecting heat from the sun and consuming more electricity to control, so users will have to pay electricity to dim the window. Therefore, we believe that new optical materials and coatings will be a more effective solution for smart windows , 'he said.

Simple power saving solution for problems of big cities

Fang started to implement this idea when working with a team of researchers at the University of Hong Kong. The purpose of this study is to reduce power consumption during hot summer months.

'Solving this problem is an important factor in the vibrant, vibrant cities like Hong Kong, because these cities are at the final limit of saving electricity, meaning cities. that street can't save any more , 'Mr. Fang explained.

Hong Kong is currently fulfilling its commitment by 2025 to reduce electricity consumption by 40%.

Students at MIT have noticed a huge problem from windows and how to limit sunlight.

'In fact, for every m ^{2 of} the window, about 500 watts of electricity is in the form of thermal energy through the sun. This is equivalent to about 5 light bulbs, ' Fang said.

Researchers in Fang's research group focused on how the phase change materials scatter the sun. They want applications to study materials to find a new type of window, especially if the material can scatter sunlight and divert heat.

After studying thermo-materials (materials that change color depending on the amount of heat coming in), the team decided to choose poly-2-aminoethylmethacrylate hydrochloride particles.

'This material is like a fishing net in the water. Each of these meshes reflects a certain amount of light. But because there is a lot of water around the net, each mesh is very hard to see. But once the water is drained, these nets are clearly visible , 'Fang said.

Cheap and pleasant

The researchers pasted two thermo-film films into a 12x12-inch window glass, then shone the light to simulate the sun shining through the glass. This window is 'dimmed' when exposed to heat.

Even the change in the glass is clearly visible, the researchers found that this type of radiator scatters 70% of the heat emitted from the light bulb that shines on the glass.

Without this glass, the temperature rises to 102 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees Celsius), but when the film is glued, the temperature remains at 93 degrees F (nearly 34 degrees C).

'This is a big difference. You will feel completely different comfort, ' Fang said.

The group of researchers at MIT is continuing to study the solution of gluing film on the window and then applying it to other surfaces to save electricity consumption. However, the window is still the ideal location to start this test.

'Windows is an important factor that needs special attention when talking about buildings' performance , ' said Xiaobo Yin, a professor of materials engineering at the University of Colorado.

'The kind of smart windows that regulate the amount of sunlight that shines on can be a trend of the future. An important advantage of this study is the material used, which helps to enhance the applicability and production of smart windows in a sustainable way. '