Temperature-sensing building material changes color to save energy
Jan 2023, phys.org
Chameleon-like building material that changes its infrared color—and how much heat it absorbs or emits—based on the outside temperature. On hot days, the material can emit up to 92 percent of the infrared heat it contains, helping cool the inside of a building. On colder days, however, the material emits just 7 percent of its infrared, helping keep a building warm.
Non-flammable "electrochromic" building material that contains a layer that can take on two conformations: solid copper that retains most infrared heat, or a watery solution that emits infrared. At any chosen trigger temperature, the device can use a tiny amount of electricity to induce the chemical shift between the states by either depositing copper into a thin film, or stripping that copper off.
via University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering: Chenxi Sui et al, Dynamic electrochromism for all-season radiative thermoregulation, Nature Sustainability (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41893-022-01023-2
Also: Radiative electrochromism for energy-efficient buildings, Nature Sustainability (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41893-022-01030-3 , www.nature.com/articles/s41893-022-01030-3
Using mushroom skin as a base for computer chips
Nov 2022, phys.org
The skin of the Ganoderma lucidum mushroom can be used as a biodegradable base for computer chips.
The team developed a means for depositing metal electronic circuitry components onto the skin using physical vapor deposition, which was followed up with an ablated laser.
via Johannes Kepler University: Doris Danninger et al, MycelioTronics: Fungal mycelium skin for sustainable electronics, Science Advances (2022). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add7118
Farewell radiators? Testing out electric infrared wallpaper
Feb 2023, BBC News
"It has two copper strips down each side of it and then a graphene layer, and when it's powered [with electricity] the graphene emits infrared, which is like the heat you get from the sun."
The graphene material he refers to is a thin layer of carbon atoms that can conduct electricity, first discovered by researchers at Manchester University. The version in Hull, which has also been used in other parts of Europe, like Scandinavia, uses a carbon paste layer to similar effect.
Image credit: AI Art - Pantheons of Grass - 2022
No comments:
Post a Comment