This is the first time that anyone has combined both a bio-inspired nanostructure with a thermochromic coating to create a self-cleaning, highly-performing smart window that could reduce heating bills by up to 40 percent, while also reducing maintenance costs and improving worker comfort and productivity.

In 2009, researchers at Tel Aviv University looking into a cure for Alzheimers discovered a new nanomaterial that can repel dust and water and could provide a self-cleaning coating for windows or solar panels. Then in 2012, researchers at MIT found a new way to create arrays of nanotextures to produce glass that is self-cleaning, non-glare, and non-fogging. all these other projects have led to this big discovery by the University College London (UCL) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Partially inspired by the reflective properties of moth eyes, when rain hits the outside of the smart window it forms spherical droplets that roll over the surface and pick up dirt, dust and other contaminants, then carries them away. A very thin (5-10nm) thermochromic coating of vanadium dioxide prevents heat loss during cold weather, plus it keeps heat-causing infrared radiation from entering during hot weather.

While, thermochromic refers to the ability of a material to change color with changes to temperature, vanadium dioxide is a cheap and abundant material, and offers a less expensive and more sustainable alternative to silver and gold-based and other coatings used by current energy-saving windows.

For the anti-glare part, they are the result of a nanostructure that mimics those found in the eyes of moths and other creatures that hide from predators. Previously, a group of researchers in Japan created an antireflective film coating for use on solar cells using the same concept.

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Author: Technology Blog