Scientists have developed a window film that could lower the temperature of buildings without using energy.
At a time when global warming tends to lengthen the duration of summers year after year, several researchers from two universities in South Korea and Indiana (United States) indicate that they have designed, using artificial intelligence and advanced computing, a window film capable of lowering the temperature of a room or building, without consuming a single watt. Both innovative and promising.
A film that reflects invisible sunlight and ultraviolet light
Today, it is estimated that the cooling of apartments, houses, premises and buildings accounts for approximately 15% of the energy consumption of the globe. And it shouldn’t get any better, with air conditioning becoming quite trendy as temperatures hit record highs.
The researchers, dubbed by a publication in the journal of the ACS, a non-profit scientific organization created 150 years ago by the United States Congress, have developed a window covering capable of having the same effect as an air conditioner.
The film developed by the scientists is in fact capable of blocking solar, ultraviolet and infrared rays, while allowing light to pass inwards. The coating is thus designed to stop anything that, with a traditional window, could pass through the glass to warm the room.
A concept that could substantially reduce the energy consumption of air conditioners
To achieve their goal, the researchers used advanced computer technology and artificial intelligence to design what they call, in more technical terms, a “transparent radiative cooler” (TRC or transparent radiative cooler). They built computer models made of thin layers of materials, such as titanium dioxide, silicon nitride, silicon dioxide and aluminum oxide, all on a glass base.
The layers were then covered with a film of polydimethylsiloxane (a polymer of the silicone class). Then the team optimized the type, order and combination of layers, using machine learning and quantum computing, a method that performs optimization faster and better than conventional computers, as it can efficiently test all possible combinations in a fraction of a second “, explains the scientists to us.
If adopted in hot, dry cities, the cooling film concept could reduce the energy consumption of air conditioning systems by around 31%, compared to conventional windows. And obviously, the potential of this technology could very well irrigate other applications, such as car or truck windows.
Source : ACS Energy Lett.
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