Nano Inks Could Control Air Temperature

Nano Inks Can Control Air Temperature Advanced climate control has enabled the development of the world's first phase-change inks, which have enormous potential to alter the way we heat and cool buildings, homes and cars in order to reduce energy consumption and global greenhouse gas emissions. Led by Dr. Mohammad Taha, new research published in The Royal Society of Chemistry's Journal of Materials Chemistry A presents a proof of concept for phase-change inks that use nanotechnology to control temperature in everyday environments. The inks in question regulate temperature by adjusting the amount of radiation that can pass through them depending on the surrounding environment. Versatile phase-change inks that can be laminated and sprayed can be added to paints and construction materials. They can also be used in clothing that regulates body temperature in extremely hot and cold environments and in the creation of large-scale, flexible and wearable electronic devices such as bendable circuits, cameras, detectors and gas and temperature sensors. Dr. Taha stated that these inks can be used in developing coatings to achieve passive heating and cooling and can reduce our need for energy production in regulating temperatures. Dr. Taha said, "People consume a lot of energy to create and maintain comfortable environments—heating and cooling buildings, homes, cars and even their bodies. To reduce our environmental impact, it is no longer sufficient to focus solely on producing energy from renewable sources. As the effects of climate change become a reality, we also need to consider reducing our energy consumption as part of the energy solutions we are putting forward. By designing our inks to respond to their environment, we not only reduce energy expenditure but also eliminate the need for control systems that would otherwise be required to manage temperature control, which is another form of energy expenditure." Passive climate control can enable comfortable living conditions without unnecessary energy expenditure. For example, to provide comfortable heating in winter, ink applied to a building facade can automatically transform to allow more solar radiation to pass through during the day and allow more insulation to retain heat inside at night. In summer, they can transform to create a barrier to block radiation from the sun and the surrounding environment. Dr. Taha said, "Our research eliminates previous constraints on applying these inks on a large scale and more economically. This means that existing structures and construction materials can be retrofitted. If manufacturers show interest, the inks could reach the market within five to ten years. Through collaboration with the industry, we can develop them and integrate them into both existing and new technologies as part of a holistic approach to addressing the world's climate change and energy problems." "The potential of this material is very large because it can be used for many different purposes, such as preventing heat buildup in laptop electronics or car windscreens. However, the most important feature of this material is that we can adjust its heat absorption properties to suit our needs. Currently, a different type of phase-change material is used to produce smart glass, but our new material means we can design smarter bricks and paints. This new nanotechnology, which is better for the environment and a sustainable future, can help retrofit existing buildings to make them more efficient." The breakthrough was achieved with the discovery of how to modify vanadium dioxide (VO2), one of the main components of phase-change materials. Phase-change materials use trigger mechanisms such as heat and electricity that enable the material to release enough energy for it to transform under stress. With previous technology, phase-change materials needed to be heated to very high temperatures to activate their 'phase-change' properties. "We used our understanding of how these materials come together to test how we can trigger an insulator-to-metal (IMT) reaction where the material essentially acts as a switch to block heat close to room temperature (30-40°C) beyond a certain temperature," said Dr. Taha, adding that the next step would be to take the research, which is patented by the University of Melbourne, into the production phase. Source