cientists have invented a new flexible smart material that, when incorporated into windows, sunroofs or curved glass surfaces, can control heat and light from the Sun and help cut electricity bills for homes.Researchers in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin in the US used a new low-temperature process for coating the new smart material on plastic, which makes it easier and cheaper to apply than conventional coatings made directly on the glass itself.The team, led by Delia Milliron, an associate professor at University of Texas, demonstrated a flexible electrochromic device, which means a small electric charge (about four volts) can lighten or darken the material and control the transmission of heat-producing, near-infrared radiation.
Such smart windows are aimed at saving on cooling and heating bills for homes and businesses.The team's low-temperature process generates a material with a unique nanostructure, which doubles the efficiency of the colouration process compared with a coating produced by a conventional high-temperature process.It can switch between clear and tinted more quickly, using less power.
The new electrochromic material, like its high temperature processed counterpart, has an amorphous structure, meaning the atoms lack any long-range organisation as would be found in a crystal.However, the new process yields a unique local arrangement of the atoms in a linear, chain-like structure.While conventional amorphous materials produced at high temperature have a denser 3D bonded structure, the new linearly structured material, made of chemically condensed niobium oxide, allows ions to flow in and out more freely.
As a result, it is twice as energy efficient as the conventionally processed smart window material.At the heart of the team's study is their rare insight into the atomic-scale structure of the amorphous materials, whose disordered structures are difficult to characterise.Since there are few techniques for characterising the atomic-scale structure sufficiently enough to understand properties, it has been difficult to engineer amorphous materials to enhance their performance.
"There's relatively little insight into amorphous materials and how their properties are impacted by local structure," Milliron said."But, we were able to characterise with enough specificity what the local arrangement of the atoms is, so that it sheds light on the differences in properties in a rational way," she said.The research appears in the journal Nature Materials.
{"site":{"site_id":3457,"site_type":11,"site_domain":"yfisher.com","domain_mode":1,"original_domain":"yfisher.com","language_code":"hmn","is_init_domain":0,"is_shop":true,"is_ssl":1,"lang_prefix":"/","animate_name":"none"},"page":{"page_id":69393,"page_type":"ai_article_detail","page_code":423,"page_url":"/ai-article/new-smart-windows-to-cut-your-power-bills-r.html","page_source":"","allowAnimat":0,"content_id":463,"content_type":5,"detail_thumb":"","detail_title":"New 'smart' Windows to Cut Your Power Bills! - R ...","detail_id":26171,"moq":1},"translateList":{"A new item has been added to your Shopping Cart":"Cov khoom tshiab tau ntxiv rau koj lub tawb nqa khoom","Account is not exists":"Tus account tsis muaj","Add a review on the product":"Ntxiv cov tshuaj xyuas ntawm cov khoom","Add to":"Ntxiv rau","Add to Cart":"Ntxiv rau lub tawb","all":"tag nrho","All Orders":"Txhua daim ntawv xaj","Already commented":"Twb tau tawm tswv yim","Are you sure you want to delete it?":"Koj puas paub tseeb tias koj xav rho tawm nws?","Are you sure to delete the selected items?":"Koj puas paub tseeb tias rho tawm cov khoom xaiv?","Awaiting Payment":"tos them nyiaj","Awaiting Shipment":"tos cov zaub mov xa tuaj","account security":"Tus Account Security","address book":"Phau Ntawv Chaw Nyob","Buy":"Yuav","Buy Now":"yuav tam sim no","Cancel":"tshem","Clear":"Meej","Clear Search":"SOUR SEAM","Confirm":"Pom zoo","Choose a country":"Xaiv lub tebchaws","Choose Coupon":"Xaiv daim coupon","commodity payment":"Kev Them Nyiaj Them","Completed":"ua tiav","Condition not met":"Mob tsis tau ntsib","Confirm password is inconsistent with new password":"Paub meej tias lo lus zais yog tsis sib haum nrog tus password tshiab","Congratulations":"Kev qhuas","Congratulations! You are got a coupon.":"Pab kev zoo siab! Koj tau txais ib daim coupon.","Congratulations! You are got all coupons.":"Pab kev zoo siab! Koj tau txais tag nrho cov coupons.","Continue Shopping":"Kav tsij txuas ntxiv mus","Copy the code and use it directly in the shopping cart.":"Luam cov cai thiab siv ncaj qha rau hauv lub tawb nqa khoom.","Coupon List":"Daim Ntawv Teev Npe","Country":"lub teb chaws","Design customization":"Tsim Kho Customization","Do not use any discount":"Tsis txhob siv ib qho luv nqi","Earliest":"Ntxov","email":"tus email","email format does not match":"email hom tsis phim","Estimated Delivery Time":"Kwv yees tus me nyuam","expired":"sij hawm","Find Parts":"Nrhiav qhov chaw","Free":"Dawb","Free Quote & Information Request":"Pub Dawb Tso & Thov Cov Ntaub Ntawv","Free Shipping":"Dawb shipping","for order over":"rau kev txiav txim tshaj","Get":"Tau","Get coupons":"Tau Txais Coupons","Get discount":"Tau txais luv nqi","Get it":"Tau txais nws","Get it after logging in and use it in the shopping cart.":"Tau txais nws tom qab nkag mus rau hauv thiab siv nws hauv lub tawb nqa khoom.","Go to Page":"Mus rau nplooj","Highest Price":"Tus nqi siab tshaj plaws","Hot Sale":"Kub Muag","home":"lub tsev","Incorrect form format":"Daim foos tsis raug","inquiry":"kev noog","Loading":"Qho chaw thau khoom","Lowest Price":"Tus nqi qis tshaj","Match Product":"Phim Khoom","Merchant Free Shipping":"Tus tub lag luam dawb shipping","Most Popular":"Feem ntau nrov","my account":"kuv tus account","my coupons":"Kuv daim coupon","my inquiry":"kuv kev nug","my orders":"kuv xaj","my reviews":"kuv cov kev txheeb xyuas","my wishlist":"kuv xav tau","name":"lub npe","Newest":"Tshiab","No Quotation":"Tsis muaj nqe lus","No time limit":"Tsis muaj sijhawm txwv","Not deleted":"Tsis tshem tawm","not valid yet":"tsis siv tau","Off":"Tawm","Offers and Discounts":"Muab thiab luv nqi","ok":"ua li cas","optional":"yam ua tau","Order over":"Txiav txim dua","order notes":"Kev Txiav Txim Siab","Password contains at least numbers and letters length should be 6-20":"Lo lus zais muaj tsawg kawg zauv thiab ntawv ntev yuav tsum 6-20","Password is invalid":"Lo lus zais tsis raug","Password length should be 6-20":"password ntev yuav tsum 6-20","Paypal":"Paypal","paypal payment":"PayPal Them","personal info":"Tus Kheej Cov Ntaub Ntawv","Please click ’click to continue’ to retry.":"Thov nyem \"Nyem txhawm rau txuas ntxiv mus\" kom rov ua haujlwm.","Please enter a valid email address":"Thov sau tus email chaw nyob siv tau","Please enter the verification code":"Thov sau tus lej pov thawj","Please login in first":"Thov ID nkag mus ua ntej","Please select attribute":"Thov xaiv tus cwj pwm","Please select country/region":"Thov xaiv lub tebchaws / thaj av","Please select superior":"Thov xaiv zoo dua","Please select the number of ratings.":"Thov xaiv tus naj npawb ntawm kev ntsuas.","read more":"Nyeem ntxiv","Region":"Cheeb tsam","Register Success":"Sau npe txoj kev vam meej","Sale ends in":"Muag xaus rau hauv","Save in wishlist":"Txuag hauv kev xav","Search":"Kev tshawb nrhiav","Shipping":"kev xa mus","Shipping Address":"Chaw Nyob Xa Khoom","shipment successful":"Kev xa khoom tau ua tiav","Size guide":"Phau Ntawv Loj Loj","Small Text":"Cov ntawv me","Small Title":"Cov npe me me","Sort By":"Txheeb los ntawm","State/Province/Territory":"Xeev / Xeev / Thaj Chaw","Successfully delete":"Ua tiav kev rho tawm","Successfully save":"Ntse cawm","The coupon code has been copied and used in the shopping cart.":"Daim coupon code tau raug theej thiab siv nyob rau hauv lub tawb nqa khoom.","The subscription is successful, thank you for your participation":"Cov npe yuav ua tiav, ua tsaug rau koj kev koom tes","The user center is out of service. Please contact customer service":"Tus neeg siv lub chaw yog tawm ntawm kev pabcuam. Thov hu rau cov neeg siv kev pabcuam","This is Text":"Nov yog ntawv nyeem","This is title":"Qhov no yog npe","This transaction has failed.":"Qhov kev sib pauv no tau ua tsis tiav.","Time to shop":"Lub sij hawm mus kav khw","To be commented":"Kom tau hais tawm","Total":"Tag nrho","the content can not be blank":"Cov ntsiab lus tsis tuaj yeem tsis yog","Update password success":"Hloov tshiab lo lus zais kom tiav","Upload Image":"Upload duab","Upload up to 6 pictures":"Upload li 6 daim duab","uploading":"thau","used":"siv","user center":"Tus Neeg Siv Chaw","Validity period":"Lub sijhawm siv tau","valid now":"Tam sim no","View Cart & Checkout":"Saib Laub","Welcome to the website":"Txais tos rau lub vev xaib","Western Union":"Sab hnub poob","Write a Review":"Sau tus saib xyuas","You are got a coupon.":"Koj tau txais ib daim coupon.","You haven’t chosen an address yet":"Koj tsis tau xaiv qhov chaw nyob tsis tau","You haven’t selected a product yet":"Koj tsis tau xaiv cov khoom tseem","Your rating":"Koj qhov kev ntaus nqi","Your review":"Koj Rov Ntsuam Xyuas","Your shipping address error":"Koj qhov chaw nyob xa khoom yuam kev"}}