Abstract
Polymer-based smart windows have recently received attention due to their capabilities in energy consumption reduction. A smart window provides desired optical properties when heated/cooled by using solar energy when the ambient temperature requires regulation. Thus the main axis of the current paper is the design and fabrication of such a smart element which operates according to temperature and energy efficiency requirements. The window in the proposed design operates the way that the percentage of light transmission depends on the presence of nanofluid between the two walls and refractive index conformity between the fluid and the polymeric walls; Therefore the percentage of light transmission will be at its minimum value (45%) in the absence of fluid and it will be at the maximum value (80%) at the presence of fluid. The fundamental steps of the present design includes design, fabrication, and characterization of the materials. In this regard experiments to determine the mechanical, physical, structural, optical, and thermal properties of components have been performed after considering, designing, and manufacturing various samples. The results show that the proposed smart window offers acceptable performance with a fast switching rate and even more than other similar smart glasses due to the usage of discharge/injection mechanism. In overall, the product can be used as a smart transparent element in various structures such as buildings and even vehicles to regulate energy consumption and/or block the view for security purposes.
Highlights
Buildings account for 40% of energy consumption and 36% of carbon dioxide emissions according to previous research (Allen, Connelly, Rutherford, & Wu, 2017)
The window in the proposed design operates in such a way that the percentage of light transmission depends on the presence of nanofluid between the two walls and refractive index conformity between the fluid and the polymeric walls; the percentage of light transmission will be at its minimum value (45%) in the absence of fluid and it will be at the maximum value (80%) at the presence of fluid
The sample is prepared by injecting fluid inside polymeric panel, while external surfaces are covered by nano-composite film
Summary
Buildings account for 40% of energy consumption and 36% of carbon dioxide emissions according to previous research (Allen, Connelly, Rutherford, & Wu, 2017). A switchable glass (transparent/opaque) is a logical solution to transmit/reflex solar light based on requirements These devices are designed to reduce air conditioning costs via sunlight blocking in summer and improve light harvesting during winter. The economical design and manufacturing capabilities, flexibility, optical/thermal features, and nano-technological compatibilities of polymeric products, are the main reasons of the focus of this study on polymerbased smart windows. These types of smart-windows are of the most controllable products in terms of design, fabrication, and application. Previous studies about smart windows design and application are found to be in different categories ranging from energy consumption management purposes to advanced fabrication methods from which the more important cases are described here in a classified manner
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