Today's Tech News: Notable or Not?

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1109726 "when electrolyte solidifies its molecules lock into place significantly hindering ion movement, overcome by maintaining constant ionic conductivity across liquid, liquid-crystal, solid phases... organic molecules with flat, disc-shaped center surrounded by long, flexible side-chains... positive charge spread evenly across molecule, preventing grabbing negative ions too tightly... molecules stack into rigid columns, but flexible side-chains provide enough space for negative ions to flow through them, even at lower temperature"

https://techxplore.com/news/2024-09-transparent-solar-cells-energy-glass.html "high efficiency (20% to 14.7% in transmittance) while remaining colorless, transparent... all-back-contact, all solar cell components on back... seamless modularization eliminates gaps between devices without using metal wires and their opaqueness... 16 cm2 transparent solar cell module... glass of buildings, cars, smartphone screens"

https://techxplore.com/news/2024-08-thermochromic-material-indoor-temperature-energy.html "adjusts transparency with changes in temperature without consuming energy... thermochromics keep heat out/ allow light through... organic and inorganic salt, 2-polymer blend... estimated 60 year life... sustainable architecture... practical and scalable solution for enhancing energy efficiency in buildings" Related: More transparent than glass, new material cools rooms and self-cleans https://newatlas.com/materials/metamaterial-glass-radiative-cooling-self-cleaning/ Multispectral smart window: A step toward healthier indoor environments https://techxplore.com/news/2024-09-multispectral-smart-window-healthier-indoor.html MIT startup AeroShield has opened a new facility for manufacturing highly insulating windows that will reduce building energy use and cut carbon emissions. https://news.mit.edu/2024/affordable-high-tech-windows-comfort-energy-savings-aeroshield-0916 Smart windows could b...

https://phys.org/news/2024-01-glass-transparent-energy-harvester.html "exposing tellurite glass to femtosecond laser light may one day turn windows into single material light-harvesting and sensing devices... exposing simple line pattern on surface of tellurite glass 1 cm diameter to UV and visible light generates current reliably for months... turning glass into semiconductor using light"

https://techxplore.com/news/2023-09-smart-color-changing-flexible-battery-ultra-high.html "flexible smart electrochromic Zn-ion battery visually represent charging and discharging processes using electrochromic polymer anode... π-bridge spacer increases electron and ion mobility efficiency... maximize efficiency electron and ion mobility... π-bridge spacer-incorporated polymer anode... improved energy storage, and zinc-ion discharging capacity of 110 mAh/g 40% greater than previous and 30% increased electrochromic function... fast charging... smart windows replace curtains, wearable technologies" Related: How zinc-ion batteries may solve our renewable energy storage problem https://techxplore.com/news/2023-09-zinc-ion-batteries-renewable-energy-storage.html A revolutionary technology for renewable energy that will facilitate the generalization of the electric car https://ev-riders.com/news/a-revolutionary-technology-for-renewable-energy-that-will-facilitate-the-generalization...

https://techxplore.com/news/2023-02-liquid-windows-energy-saving-squid-skin.html "reduce energy costs of heating, cooling and lighting by optimizing wavelength, intensity and dispersion of light transmitted through windows... save about 50% annually... off-the-shelf low cost... flat sheets of plastic that are permeated with an array of millimeter-thick channels through which fluids can be pumped analogous to multilayered skin of squid... control visible vs. near-IR wavelengths and in which direction this light distributed... Potential: AI optimize for seasonal and daily changes in solar conditions" Related: Net-zero glass tech firm LuxWall secures $33 million in Series A round https://www.businessleader.co.uk/luxwall-secures-33-million-series-a/ Perovskite-based thermochromic windows reduce energy load and carbon emission in buildings https://techxplore.com/news/2023-02-perovskite-based-thermochromic-windows-energy-carbon.amp Material would allow users to 'tune' windo...

https://www.popsci.com/technology/quantum-computer-heat-window-glass/ "machine learning and quantum computing teamed up to test models within fractions of a second, parsing through virtually ever possible mixture and material combination to find the best one. The result is a 1.2 micron-thick layering of silica, alumina, and titanium oxide upon a glass base that is then coated with the same polymer used in contact lenses. The new combination subsequently outperformed ever other heat-reduction glass coating currently available" Related: Researchers develop biodegradable, biorecyclable glass https://phys.org/news/2023-03-biodegradable-biorecyclable-glass.html

https://news.yahoo.com/record-breaking-transparent-solar-panels-150005246.html "flexible, relatively low-cost and can be made using conventional roll-printing techniques... The latest development pushes the power conversion efficiency to between 28.4-30.2 per cent, while still maintaining long-term operational stability over 500 hours of testing" Related: Breakthrough: Transparent solar cells become more efficient https://basic-tutorials.com/news/breakthrough-transparent-solar-cells-become-more-efficient/ Electricity-generating windows? Swiss scientists design more efficient transparent solar panels https://www.euronews.com/next/amp/2022/11/12/electricity-generating-windows-swiss-scientists-design-more-efficient-transparent-solar-pa Your windows may soon produce wireless Internet connections powered by sunlight https://www.thesciencemag.com/2022/12/your-windows-may-soon-produce-wireless.html See-Through, Energy Efficient Windows Made From Paper https://cleantechnica.com/2023/...

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/12/ubiquitous-energy-aims-to-turn-skyscrapers-into-vertical-solar-farms.html "Ubiquitous makes a coating for windows that uses semiconducting materials to convert sunlight into electricity. The coating is just nanometers thick and tiny wires connect the solar window to electrical systems where the energy is used...  the solar-electricity window panels are projected to be about 30% more expensive than regular glass that goes into windows once production gets to scale" Related: Transparent solar panels could replace windows in the future. Here's how https://interestingengineering.com/transparent-solar-panels-replace-windows-in-the-future-heres-how Transparent Solar Panels Replace Windows, Mobile Screens https://yodoozy.com/transparent-solar-panels-replace-windows-mobile-screens/ Vertical PV power plants reduce the need for gas imports and electricity storage systems https://techxplore.com/news/2022-07-vertical-pv-power-gas-imports.html Solar tow...

https://www.ntu.edu.sg/news/detail/smart-window-blocks-rays-without-blocking-views "energy-saving material for electrochromic (EC) windows... could block up to 70 per cent of infrared radiation... without compromising views through the window since it allows up to 90 per cent of visible light to pass through. The material is also about 30 per cent more effective in regulating heat... cheaper to make due to its durability... operates at the flick of a switch" Related: New research introduces adaptable smart window design that can heat or cool a house https://techxplore.com/news/2022-01-smart-window-cool-house.html Inexspensive all-season passive thin metal film for energy savings in cities https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S097308262300039X Novel self-assembled porous yolk-shell NiO nanospheres with excellent electrochromic performance for smart windows https://phys.org/news/2023-04-self-assembled-porous-yolk-shell-nio-nanospheres.html Smart windows redefine so...

https://ece.engin.umich.edu/stories/solar-cells-with-30-year-lifetimes-for-power-generating-windows "team has already increased the transparency of the module to 40%. They believe they can approach 60% transparency... They’re also working on bumping up the efficiency from the 10% achieved in the reported semitransparent modules, closer to the 15% believed to be possible at high transparency. Because the materials can be prepared as liquids, the manufacturing costs are expected to be relatively low" Related: Scientists create a nearly invisible solar cell with up to 79% transparency https://interestingengineering.com/scientists-create-a-nearly-invisible-solar-cell-with-up-to-79-transparency Toward manufacturing semitransparent solar cells the size of windows https://techxplore.com/news/2022-07-semitransparent-solar-cells-size-windows.html Researchers fabricate highly transparent solar cell with 2D atomic sheet https://techxplore.com/news/2022-07-fabricate-highly-transparent-so...