Scientists have come up with chameleon windows that will not only protect from the heat, but also become a source of electricity

In addition to graphene, the most studied substance today is the "Russian" mineral perovskite. Perovskite most clearly manifests its interesting qualities in solar energy. Scientists from the United States have found an interesting use for this mineral in the composition of windows that change dimming as they heat up and simultaneously generate an electric current. For cooling rooms in hot climates, this can be invaluable.

Researchers at the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have proposed a window sandwich of two glass panes, sandwiched between them with a thin film of perovskite. Also, a special solution is injected into the gap between the film and the glass to interact with perovskite during heating.

As the temperature inside the package rises and in the process of intensifying vaporization, perovskite rearranges its crystal structure from chains and planes into a bulk crystal lattice. Each new crystalline structure changes the polarization properties of the material, which looks like a sequential change in the color of the film (window) from transparent to yellow, orange, red and brown, all within seven seconds at a temperature of 35 to 46 ° C.

Moreover, when the perovskite film darkens, it begins to generate an electric current. The room is not only protected from the heat and sunlight entering the building, but also receives a power source for the operation of electrical appliances, for example, an air conditioner.

According to the researchers, a prototype of a smart chameleon window can be created within one year. The research article is freely available from the link in Nature Communications.

Source: https://newatlas.com/