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Tag Archive for: smart glass

New glass coating blocks heat, but not light

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New glass coating blocks heat, but not light

New glass coating blocks heat, but not light

Researchers at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR) in Singapore have developed a new glass coating that rejects infrared light, but transmits visible light. Infrared light waves generate heat and can cause buildings to consume more energy. According to the researchers, the coating will be of most use in equatorial countries, which receive the greatest amount of full-spectrum light exposure.

The coating blocks most infrared light waves, which means that it could virtually eliminate solar heat gain on coated windows. That would translate into a significant reduction in energy consumption, which is the largest operating cost associated with buildings in areas that are close to the equator.

The coating consists of tin-oxide particles that are doped with small amounts of antimony. The scientists varied the concentration of antimony throughout the coating to optimize infrared rejection. Currently, the experimental formulation blocks about 90% of infrared light waves, while admitting 80% of visible light.

Commercial coatings that use tin-oxide and antimony are already on the market, but the ASTAR researchers used antimony particles that are about half the size of the commercially available coatings, and varied the particle concentrations to improve infrared light control.

An added benefit of this formulation is that it may be possible to add the coating to windows that are already installed. The ability to add the coating as an after-market process could help older buildings reduce their energy costs without the expense of complete window or architectural glass replacement.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. Glassprimer™ glass paint can be used in both interior and exterior applications and can help reduce solar heat gain in some applications. For more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Science Activism , via Flickr.com

New film can make any glass “smart”

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New film can make any glass "smart"

New film can make any glass “smart”

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have developed a new electrochromic film that can turn any ordinary glass window into a “smart” one. The film can be applied to any kind of glass at low temperatures, and requires only a few volts to lighten or darken the material. The material is able to control both light and heat, and could improve the energy efficiency of ordinary windows.

The Texas researchers collaborated with scientists in France and Spain to create the material. The material, which contains niobium oxide, is about twice as efficient as conventional smart windows. The film is classified as an amorphous structure, which means that its atoms do not ordinarily arrange in a typical crystalline structure.

Conventional materials adopt a uniform, crystalline structure that is replicated throughout the material. Amorphous materials, on the other hand, contain local arrangements of atoms that differ based on the material. Amorphous materials created at high temperatures tend to arrange themselves in dense, three-dimensional bonds. The researchers were able to determine that the new material, which is formed at lower temperatures, does not have the dense 3-D structure, but rather has a linear structure that allows ions to flow more freely through the material. The discovery provided enough information to predict the behavior of the new material and allow the other team members to create it.

The arrangement of atoms in amorphous structures determines what the materials can do. The researchers can use the technique to predict the behavior of other amorphous materials and optimize their performance. The researchers are now focusing on creating a low-temperature flexible material using the new compounds that performs as well as or better than conventional electrochromic materials. Being able to mass-produce the material at low temperatures will simplify the manufacturing process and make it both readily available and affordable.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Matt Taylor, via Flickr.com

Your beer glass could be spying on you

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Your beer glass could be spying on you

Your beer glass could be spying on you

With all the talk about who makes the best beer, another beer-related battle is brewing – who makes the best beer glass? A startup called Glassify says that it will soon bring its “smart glass” to a corner brewery near you – if you live in Europe or North America.

The glass is outfitted with a NFC chip and QR code combo that’s been embedded in the base of the glass. In theory, the consumer bellies up to the bar, introduces his brew to his smartphone (which is loaded with the Glassify app) and a little bit of marketing magic happens. The customer’s identity, age and location is transmitted to the brewery. In exchange, the customer receives a free beer or other promotion.

Patrons can “charge” their glasses with money to spend at the bar, and can transfer drinks to friends. In addition to receiving promotions at the bar they’re currently visiting, patrons can also receive promotions for nearby establishments. The app also keeps track of what a person orders, so bars can already see a patron’s preferences.

Never heard of a smart glass? Not surprising. Right now, there are only a few thousand glasses in use as part of a pilot program in the Europe and US. The smart glass invasion is expected to heat up in earnest in the first half of 2017. Based on the results of the pilot program, bars say that sales have increased substantially because of the glass. The programming limits the number of promotions to five per visit for each drinker. The app can also interface with Uber to help bar patrons avoid DUIs.

The smart glass just goes to show that there are a lot of things you can do with glass, including increasing drink sales!

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store

Photo Credit: Glassify

Smart glass goes to the head of the class

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Smart glass goes to the head of the class

Smart glass goes to the head of the class

Building owners and operators are always on the lookout for ways to make their buildings more environmentally friendly. Part of this environmentalism is reducing energy consumption through materials like smart glass. As more construction takes place globally, the demand for energy increases. This puts additional stress on electrical power plants, and drives the demand for new facilities.

Building operators are committed to reducing energy consumption. Industry estimates suggest that they’ll spend nearly $1 trillion on upgrades and improvements to existing infrastructure through 2023. That may explain why smart glass is becoming a popular choice. Smart glass is specially designed glass that has the ability to change its opacity based on the presence or absence of an electrical current.

New developments in smart glass are working toward eliminating the need for continuous current. Although the electrical current demands for smart windows is small, eliminating the current can improve their efficiency over a large number of windows.

Smart windows rely on conductive suspended particles that re-orient themselves when electrical current is applied. When the current is on, the window is transparent. When the current is off, the particles become disorganized and block light. Varying the current can cause some of the particles to orient, thereby “tinting” the glass.

Changing the opacity of the glass can also reduce the amount of solar heat gain an area experiences. Reducing the amount of solar heat gain reduces electrical consumption by reducing the need for air conditioning or other air handling.

Another environmentally friendly way to reduce solar heat gain is by coating the glass with a UV-resistant coating like Glassprimer™ glass paint. Glassprimer™ glass paint is exceptionally UV resistant, which means it rejects the invisible light waves that generate and trap heat behind glass.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is permanent. While you lose the transparency of glass, you can still enjoy natural light. The coating works well to improve spaces where the view isn’t attractive. It also comes in virtually any color, so it will blend with any color palette.

If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Jamie McCaffrey, via Flickr.com

Smart glass may spur market

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Smart glass may spur market

Smart glass may spur market

If you’ve sat in the sun inside a building, you know that full sun can heat up a building quickly. That accumulated heat, along with blinding glare, can make some spaces virtually unusable at certain times of the day. Smart glass proposes to change all of that.

Smart glass can reduce energy consumption

Smart glass is self-tinting glass that changes to increase reflectivity when the Sun is at its worst. Self-tinting glass isn’t new. It’s been used for years in small applications. New manufacturing technologies have vastly increased the size of smart glass panels, opening the glass up as an option for use in building construction.

Smart glass can be installed to reduce glare and minimize temperature increases inside a building. In addition, smart glass is active, so it changes its tint based on the solar conditions. Other options, like low-e glass do not change to meet conditions. Smart glass can reduce or eliminate the need for exterior shutters, shades and awnings to control sunlight entering the building.

So far, smart glass has found its greatest appeal in commercial buildings like hospitals, universities and office buildings. Analysts believe that the market for architectural smart glass will double or perhaps triple between 2014 and 2020. The glass is exceptionally interesting for construction applications. The Department of Energy estimates that buildings that use smart glass could reduce their energy consumption by nearly half, and lower their peak electricity demand by one-sixth.

With the glass, operating costs aren’t the only thing that could shrink. Buildings could use smaller HVAC systems, which would lower construction costs, mortgage costs and the cost of rent. The availability of smart glass could also have an impact on productivity. Studies have shown that virtually all workers perform better when they have a view of the outside.

Even though the windows offer superior energy efficiency, initial cost is still a barrier to more widespread adoption. The glass costs about $100 per square foot, but when compared to both its energy-saving potential, and the need to dress ordinary glass with curtains, shutters or blinds, the cost-benefit analysis often works in favor of smart glass.

Glassprimer™ glass paint offers a cost-effective, UV-resistant option to create opaque or translucent glass, at about $1.00 per square foot. Glassprimer™ glass paint comes in a wide variety of colors, and can be color-matched to any major paint manufacturer’s paint palette. It bonds permanently with the glass and will not peel, fade or chip.

If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Wendy Lefkowich, via Flickr.com