Distinguished Professor Alexander Govorov
In a story headlined “Energy-saving windows made from common glass and cheap nanocrystals,” Nano Werk reports on research by Visiting Research Scholar Dr. Xiang-Tian Kong, and Dr. Alexander Govorov, Distinguished Professor of Physics.
(Nanowerk Spotlight) Buildings and other man-made structures consume as much as 30-40% of the primary energy in the world, mainly for heating, cooling, ventilation, and lighting. ‘Smart’ windows are expected to play a significant role in reducing this energy consumption in two ways: by generating energy themselves, and by providing better insulation by allowing light in and keeping the heat out (in hot summers) or in (in cold winters).
Infrared (IR)-blocking windows contribute to the energy efficiency of a building since they are transparent to visible light but block the radiation that transfers heat but does not contribute to illumination. These windows are passive systems that help reduce energy consumption (from active cooling methods, such as air conditioning) and are already available in the market.
One of the main challenges for energy efficient technologies is to lower their cost by making cheap energy-efficient materials and devices by preferably using green manufacturing technologies. For example, commercial infrared-blocking windows, both passive and active, are simply too expensive (most of these IR-blocking windows contain an expensive silver coating) and they are not used in the majority of our homes.
By lowering the cost of heat-blocking window technology, for instance by replacing silver with cheaper metals, they could see wider acceptance, ultimately translating into an overall greater energy-efficiency of buildings….
These findings have been reported in Nano Letters (“Plasmonic Glasses and Films Based on Alternative Inexpensive Materials for Blocking Infrared Radiation”).
Read about their research in Forum: “Physicists Say Nanoparticles Could Block Excess Infrared Solar Radiation.”
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