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A window on the future

2013-Aug-22
Glass has been serving mankind for 5,000 years already, but new advances in technology
mean it could become the front line in the war against energy costs and carbon emissions.
Composite coatings using nanocrystals are now able to selectively block out heat and light.
Perfecting the fine art of flat glass production uniting automation and power for
manufacturing excellence.

The next step in intelligent glass

To date, smart glass has played a role in very specific applications across sectors including
the construction and automotive ones. Europes ICE 3 high-speed trains, for example, use
electrochromic glass panels between passenger compartments and drivers cabins. Now,
thanks to breakthrough scientific research, smart glass technology appears ready to transform
the performance of the buildings we live and work in as well as turn the dial on the
enormous energy and carbon challenges we face.
Realizing dynamic and independent solar spectrum control.

Revolutionizing window efficiency

Led by chemist Delia Milliron, researchers at the Berkeley National Laboratory in California have
realized a critical new energy-saving dimension in smart window coatings, as published this
month in Nature science journal. In the words of lab scientist Howdy Goudey: Smart
windows have the potential to dramatically reduce the energy use associated with windows
by adjusting to the optimal properties under all environmental conditions. With previous
technology, blocking heat meant also darkening the glass. Now, three-state performance
enables flexible switching between bright, cool and dark transparent, heat-blocking as well
as combined heat- and light-blocking glass.
Nanocrystal technology
The research breakthrough means it is possible for the first time to control near-infrared light
(causing heat) and visible light independently of each other. Interaction between two highly
conductive materials nanocrystals of indium tin oxide and a glassy matrix of niobium oxide
leads to a much greater blocking effect than before. As Milliron puts it: From a materialsdesign perspective, weve shown that you can combine very dissimilar materials to create
new properties that are not accessible in a homogeneous single phase material.
ITO nanocrystals in blue embedded in a glassy matrix of niobium oxide (green) - their
synergistic interaction increases the electrochromic effect dramatically.

The efficiency payoff

A small electrical range of 2.5 volts enables this chemical reaction, while the new glass retains
96% of its charge capacity even after being switched on and off over 2,000 times. As full
commercialization waits on further optimization and stability improvements, the potential payoff
for wide scale deployment is enormous. The universal smart glass concept has the power to
block 50% of heat and 70% of light. And with residential and commercial buildings accounting
for 40% of energy consumption and 30% of energy-related carbon emissions in the US alone,
advanced glass technology looks to play a key role in tomorrows sustainable infrastructures.
Integrating automation and power with a glass pioneer
For its part, Siemens shares 150 years in the glass industry, with groundbreaking inventions
such as the regenerative furnace developed by Friedrich Siemens in 1856 still active principles
in the sector. Glass is not only one of the oldest industries in the world, its also one of the
most energy-intensive manufacturing disciplines. Innovative technologies from Siemens such
as waste heat recovery solutions that generate up to 60% of plant requirements or plant-wide
automation and power integration help to transform energy and resource performance for
glass manufacturers. We support advanced coating innovation in the flat glass segment, while
also helping to re-invent building efficiency and comfort when it comes to urban environments.
Transformations to come
Switchable windows that are dynamically flexible to time of day and season will become a
core component of industrial glass innovation as well as intelligent urban infrastructures. We
look forward to the transformational potential to come in this universal material.

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News - Topics - A window on the future

3/27/2015

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Background scientific essay from Nature journal

Smart Windows: Behind the Scenes at the Berkeley
Lab
Flat glass reference clips from Siemens
Siemens offering for the glass industry

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