In the hot summer, windows are often a love-hate relationship: they bring bright natural light and wide views to the interior, but they also become the main channel for heat intrusion. Traditional heat insulation methods, such as blackout curtains or dark film, can block heat waves, but they inevitably sacrifice indoor lighting and the beautiful scenery outside the window. However, this dilemma may soon be a thing of the past.
A research team from the University of Notre Dame recently announced a breakthrough: They used quantum computing and machine learning technology to successfully develop a new type of transparent window coating that can effectively block heat-generating ultraviolet and infrared rays while keeping the glass clear and transparent, thereby significantly reducing indoor temperatures.
At the heart of this research lies a technology called Transparent Radiative Cooling (TRC). Tengfei Luo, the leader of the project and a professor of energy research at the University of Notre Dame, explained that ordinary glass windows will allow thermal radiation in sunlight to penetrate into the room, causing a sharp increase in air conditioning load. In order to solve this problem, the research team did not use the traditional trial and error method, but innovatively introduced a quantum computing-assisted machine learning model. Using this powerful computing tool, they screened the optimal solution from countless material combinations in a very short time, and designed an ultra-thin multilayer structure composed of common materials such as silica, aluminum oxide, and titanium oxide, and covered its surface with a layer of polymer (PDMS) commonly used in contact lenses.
The new coating works like a pair of high-tech "architectural sunglasses," but it's smarter than regular sunglasses. It can selectively let visible light penetrate, ensuring sufficient indoor light and clear vision; at the same time, it can act like a mirror, reflecting back ultraviolet and near-infrared rays that carry heat in the sun, and even use the principle of radiative cooling to "discharge" heat directly through the atmosphere into outer space. What’s more worth mentioning is that in the latest research, the team further optimized the coating structure so that it can maintain efficient thermal insulation performance no matter what angle the sun is at - whether it is direct sunlight at noon or slanting sunlight in the morning and evening, overcoming the limitation that similar technologies in the past can only function at specific angles.
Based on simulation testing and actual experimental data, this new window film is expected to reduce building air conditioning cooling costs by approximately 31% in hot, dry climates. Professor Teng Fei said that this coating is not only suitable for glass curtain walls of residential and office buildings, but is also expected to be applied to automobile windows in the future, which is particularly important for improving the cruising range of electric vehicles. As this technology further matures and is produced on a large scale, it is expected to become a key technology in the field of green buildings and energy conservation and emission reduction in the future, allowing us to enjoy the sunshine and beautiful scenery without having to worry about high electricity bills and scorching room temperature.
Compiled from /ScitechDaily