Developing a transparent coating that can cool buildings without using energy

As temperatures around the world continue to rise, the need for air conditioning in buildings is increasing.

But air conditioning is not cheap. Scientists at Kyung Hee University in Seoul believe they may have a solution to this problem in the form of transparent window coverings.

According to the researchers, the coating reduces the temperature inside buildings without spending any energy.

Previous studies have shown that refrigeration accounts for about 15% of global energy consumption.

Through ordinary glass windows, solar ultraviolet and infrared rays can penetrate, as a result of which the room heats up.

To prevent this, the team decided to develop a window covering that could block the sun’s ultraviolet and infrared rays.

They also sought to create a coating that could radiate heat from the surface of a window at a wavelength that would travel through the atmosphere and into outer space.

“However, it is difficult to develop materials that both meet these criteria and can also transmit visible light, meaning they do not interfere with vision,” the team, led by Eunkyu Lee, explained in a statement.

The team’s transparent radiator cooler consists of alternating thin layers of silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, alumina or titanium dioxide on a glass base coated with a layer of polydimethylsiloxane.

Using machine learning, the researchers were able to improve the type, order, and composition of the layers.

“This resulted in a pavement design that outperformed the traditional TRC design in manufacturing,” they explained.

Researchers predict that in hot, dry cities, TRA can reduce cooling energy consumption by as much as 31 percent compared to conventional windows. And window painting is not limited to buildings.

It can also be applied to car and truck windows to keep vehicles cool, the team says.

The study comes shortly after engineers in the US created the “whitest paint” they say will help fight global warming.

The ultra-white coating, developed at Indiana’s Purdue University, reflects up to 98.1% of sunlight while rejecting infrared heat.

Buildings in hot climates painted with the new paint will cool more efficiently, reducing the need for air conditioning technology.

And paints can be an environmentally friendly way to reduce the power consumption needed to ensure stable operation in good weather.

Source: Daily Mail

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