Heating and cooling make up a large percentage of a building’s energy consumption, but a new dynamic shading system using optofluidic cells to block light on demand could remedy that.
Water and pigments to refresh buildings
Tiny, usually transparent marine organisms, krill can displace pigment from their subcutaneous cells, allowing them to turn darker to protect themselves from UV damage. In the context of work published in the journal NatureCommunicationsresearchers at the University of Toronto were inspired by this amazing ability todynamically shade windows and building facades.
The team’s prototype is made up of optofluidic cells that can switch from transparency to opacity on demand, using a small amount of energy. Inside the cell, a one millimeter layer of mineral oil is placed between two sheets of plastic. To make it darker, a small amount of water containing a pigment or dye is injected through a connected tube, creating a ” efflorescence which will obscure the light.
The larger the amount of pigment injected, the larger the pattern and its shape can also be controlled. A low flow will thus give a circular pattern, while a higher one will produce branching tree structures. The pigment can then be pumped to return the cell to its transparent state.
” These green and sustainable confined fluids can be used to modify the properties of materials “, explains Ben Hatton, lead author of the study. ” We can not only control the size and shape of the pattern, but also the chemical or optical properties of the dye in the water, so that it has the desired color or opacity.. »
An energy bill reduced by 30%
This network of optofluidic cells could be integrated into the windows or facades of buildings in order to regulate the interior temperature for a minimal energy cost. In the heat of a summer day, the cells could be made opaque to block sunlight, before becoming transparent again when the sun goes down.
The researchers modeled the operation of such a system at the scale of a building and compared the potential energy savings to two other systems: motorized blinds and electrochromic windows, using voltage variations to modify the transparency. with a glass coating.
” We found that our system could reduce the energy needed for heating, cooling and lighting by up to 30% compared to the other two options. “, explains Raphael Kay, co-author of the study. ” This is mainly because we have much tighter control over the extent and evolution of sun protection. This system could be compared to the opening and closing of hundreds of small blinds in different places and at different times on a facade. We can achieve all this with a simple, scalable and inexpensive fluid flow. »
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