Heat-Pipe-Inspired Dynamic Windows Enabled by a Scalable Bottom-Up Technology

这项拨款为开发节能建筑的新型动态窗户技术提供资金。动态窗口可以完成三个基本功能。首先，它们可以有效地收集可见光，以最大限度地减少白天的用电量。其次，它们在夏季阻止太阳热量进入建筑物，因此可以降低冷却能源的使用。第三，在冬天，他们让热量进来，以减少供暖成本。这些创新窗户的灵感来自于成熟的热管和新颖的光子晶体技术。热管在空调、冰箱等产品的热流管理中得到了广泛的应用。光子晶体是一类用于控制光流的新型光学材料。开发可扩展的医生刀涂层纳米制造平台，用于制作窗玻璃上的大面积光子晶体涂层。本研究成果将在提高住宅和商业建筑窗户的能源效率方面取得重大突破。窗户是建筑物中能量损失的主要来源之一。平均而言，它们占整个建筑供暖和制冷负荷的36%。因此，这项研究将有助于减少建筑物所需的石油、天然气和电力的消耗。这将大大加强美国的能源安全。建筑占美国碳排放量的40%左右。这种新颖的动态窗口技术可以显著减少它们对环境的影响。此外，可扩展的医生刀片涂层纳米制造平台将推动从高速光学计算到超灵敏生物传感等许多其他领域的发展，在这些领域中，廉价制造大面积周期纳米结构非常重要。

This grant provides funding for the development of a novel dynamic window technology for energy efficient buildings. Dynamic windows can accomplish three essential functions. First, they can efficiently harvest visible light to minimize electricity use during daylight. Second, they block solar heat from entering buildings in the summertime and thus can lower energy use for cooling. Third, in the wintertime, they let heat in to reduce heating costs. These innovative windows are inspired by the mature heat pipe and novel photonic crystal technologies. Heat pipes have been widely used in managing the flow of heat in a wide range of products such as air conditioners and refrigerators. Photonic crystal is a new class of optical materials designed for controlling the flow of light. A scalable doctor blade coating nanomanufacturing platform will also be developed for making large-area photonic crystal coatings on window glass. The results of this research will lead to significant breakthroughs in improving energy efficiency of windows for both residential and commercial buildings. Windows are one of the main sources of energy loss in buildings. On average, they account for 36 percent of overall building heating and cooling loads. Consequently, this research will contribute to reduce the consumption of oil, natural gas, and electricity needed to power buildings. This could greatly enhance the energy security of the United States. Buildings contribute about 40 percent of U.S. carbon emission. This novel dynamic window technology could significantly reduce their impact on the environment. Moreover, the scalable doctor blade coating nanomanufacturing platform will advance many other areas ranging from high-speed optical computing to ultrasensitive bio-sensing, where the inexpensive fabrication of large-area periodic nanostructures is important.