A new material developed by researchers from the University of Chicago Pritzker's School of Molecular Engineering can change its colors depending on the temperature, to help buildings change color. This development could help it save energy by adapting to the weather conditions outside, like a chameleon that adapts to its environment.
If it is sensing a hot temperature outside, it would change its color to cool it inside and would help provide more heat should it be cold, requiring less of its air conditioning or heating system to do the work.
Color-Changing Building Material Developed by Researchers
According to a news release from the University of Chicago PME, its researchers led by Asst. Prof. Po-Chun Hsu, there is a new material that could be applied to buildings to help save on energy consumption. This is through changing the colors of its exterior which would depend on the temperature or weather outside.
It could provide better insulation from heat or cold using its infrared, helping cool or provide heat on its inside, depending on the season.
The material can absorb external temperature, for example, if it gets too hot outside, it could emit 92 percent of its infrared to make it cooler inside-and on the other hand, on colder days, it could emit 7 percent to make it hotter inside.
The team's research was recently published in the Nature Sustainability journal.
Like a Chameleon, It Adapts to the Environment
There is a relation to this research to reptiles known as chameleons, known for their adaptation to their environment.
"This kind of smart material lets us maintain the temperature in a building without huge amounts of energy," said Asst. Prof. Hsu. "If we want a carbon-negative future, I think we have to consider diverse ways to control building temperature in a more energy-efficient way."
Energy-Saving Developments
There are different applications from researchers to help in saving power in homes and different places, with the use of materials in the construction process. There was one development centering on transparent wood that could replace glass windows, with a process to make wood see-through and replace the traditional way of creating the easily-breakable glass.
Researchers are also looking into creating building plans that could make it energy-efficient, and avoid leading to premature deaths, as well as its massive carbon footprint in the world. These laid-out plans can transform an average building into an eco-friendly one, that could apply to future developments or constructions, and transform existing ones.
The Culture Club said that the karma chameleon comes and goes, and this is a parallel to that, as its color changes depending on the season, as per the University of Chicago. The new material will help insulate heat or cool temperatures from a building and reduce the work supposedly done by its HVAC system for energy-saving.
