Researchers from Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology produced a film coating of a special material that lets you quickly switch the glass from the mirror in the transparent state. use of such coatings on the windows of the buildings will significantly reduce energy consumption for air conditioning by total reflection sunlight. As a demonstration, the researchers showed a sheet of clear acrylic plastic. Between the sheet and film, there is a gap thickness of 0.1 mm. When this gap is filled with air, the light passes through all layers of the resulting "sandwich." But it is necessary to fill this gap with hydrogen. Due to the difference in the refractive indices of glass, film and hydrogen, glass becomes a mirror reflecting the vast majority of the supply of light. Hydrogen is needed to switch transparency. Through the use of film in the special catalytic substance water vapor in the air, effectively decompose into hydrogen and oxygen, the electrical potential voltage of only 3 volts. In the world there are already examples of electrochromic glass, which even produced on an industrial scale, which changes its transparency under the influence of an electric field. But this glass has a number of defects, it does not reflect the light energy is converted into thermal energy on the glass surface and penetrates into the room, heating it. In addition, the electrochromic glass is very slow, for example, the small window of the Boeing 787 switched from transparent to opaque state and vice versa for 30 seconds. A switching time windows larger calculated already minute time. Glass covered with a new film switches from a mirror in a transparent state in just five seconds. Time switch back until disproportionately is about 10 minutes. But the researchers institute AIST has developed a new material for the film, while the reversing switch is reduced to 30 seconds. "In the end, we plan to use a switching glass transparency film for automotive glass and glass windows of various buildings. Automotive glass, according to international standards, must have transparency at least 70%. Unfortunately our film is not yet able to meet these requirements, but we are working on it and plan to get there within the year. "- said the representative of the Institute AIST.
