Windows are great for letting light into our homes and cars, but they also let in a lot of heat, especially on sunny days.
This can make rooms hotter and increase the need for air conditioning, which costs money and uses energy.
However, scientists have developed a new kind of window coating that lets light in but keeps the heat out, and it works no matter where the sun is in the sky.
The team behind this innovation is led by Tengfei Luo, a professor at the University of Notre Dame.
They’ve created a special coating that can be applied to existing windows or even used in cars.
This coating is smart because it blocks the kinds of light that make things warm, like the ultraviolet and infrared light from the sun, while still letting you see through the window clearly.
What’s really cool about this coating is that it works all day long, even when the sun’s position changes.
Most window coatings only work best when the sun shines straight through them. But the sun moves, and at midday, it hits windows at an angle, which can let in more heat.
The new coating is different.
It’s made by layering very thin materials on glass, including silica, alumina, titanium oxide, and a special kind of silicon.
This not only keeps the window clear but also helps reflect heat away, keeping rooms cooler by up to 13 degrees Fahrenheit.
To figure out the best way to layer these materials, the researchers used a special kind of computer called a quantum computer.
This helped them find the perfect setup without having to try out every single combination by hand, which would take a really long time.
Their experiments showed that this setup really does reduce the temperature in a room while keeping everything bright and visible.
This new coating is like polarized sunglasses that reduce glare without darkening your view, except it works on windows and stays clear no matter how you look at it.
It’s a big step forward because it could help us use less energy for cooling our homes and cars, making it easier on our wallets and the planet.
The possibilities are exciting, as this approach to designing materials could be used for many other products in the future.
This breakthrough not only makes our rooms more comfortable but also shows a new way to tackle the challenge of keeping cool without sacrificing natural light.
