IIT Indore making 'smart glass' to keep buildings cool in summer and warm in winter
smart glass
' being developed at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore with the help of a special porous organic polymer can help in constructing
eco-friendly buildings
by changing the way windows are used, officials said on Tuesday.
The key material behind this technology is a newly developed
viologen-based porous organic polymer
(POP), they said.
The project focuses on creating an electronic curtain glass that can control how much light and heat pass through it by simply applying a small electric current, the officials said.
"What makes the smart glass special is its quick response to electricity. It can change colour and transparency which allows it to block sunlight and heat when needed, or let it in when it's cooler outside. This smart adjustment helps save energy by reducing the need for air-conditioning or artificial lighting," an official from the institute said.
"The use of viologen-based polymers allows for quick and reliable colour change, which can significantly impact how we design energy-efficient buildings. In the future, these smart electrochromic windows could become common in smart homes and eco-friendly buildings, helping to lower electricity bills and reduce the impact on the environment," the official said.
The researchers are working closely with industry partners to make sure the glass can be produced using current factory setups, as per the officials.
Under the guidance of Prof Suman Mukhopadhyay from the Department of Chemistry and Prof Rajesh Kumar from the Department of Physics, this innovative work is being carried out under the Translational Research Fellowship (TRF) scheme by researcher Dr Sayantan Sarkar from the Department of Chemistry, they said.
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