IIT Guwahati researchers develop smart windows with climate control

The IIT Guwahati team has designed smart window ‘glasses’ using noble metals that can control the intensity of solar radiation, depending upon the weather/climate condition.

A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati have developed smart window materials for automatic climate control of buildings. Such smart window materials will help to develop efficient automatic climate control systems in buildings. Dr. Debabrata Sikdar, Assistant Professor, Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, along with his research scholar, Mr. Ashish Kumar Chowdhary from IIT Guwahati curated the idea behind the window.

Dr. Debabrata Sikdar, Assistant Professor, Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, said, "There has been increased attention to sustainable architectural designs for better light and heat management in buildings in recent years, and deploying smart windows is the first step for such structures."

"At present, the COVID-19 pandemic has imposed an unprecedented risk of cross infections through aerosols transmission in public buildings such as healthcare centers, offices, transportation systems, workshops, laboratories, and food storage facilities, etc., where central air-conditioning systems are in use. We believe that our smart windows can provide an alternative solution for maintaining ambient indoor temperature and lighting inside a building or a vehicle by integrating those with usual glass windows or walls, thereby reducing the need for air-conditioning systems, " He added.

“We have proposed an electro-tuneable glass made of two ultra-thin metal layers sandwiching an electro-optic polymer whose refractive index can be changed by applying a small voltage, which allows filtering of visible and infrared radiation,” explained Mr. Ashish Kumar Chowdhary, Research Scholar, IIT Guwahati.

The IIT Guwahati team has designed smart window ‘glasses’ using noble metals that can control the intensity of solar radiation, depending upon the weather/climate condition. These smart glasses can find applications for efficient automatic climate control in vehicles, locomotives, airplanes, and greenhouses of the future.

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