nir-vana innovation network

Smart windows have been around for years. They are (almost) excellent in offering privacy and comfort to people who wish to switch their windows between clear and opaque state. Different technologies exist with different features, such as electrochromic and Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal (PDLC). They have slight weaknesses such as having a tinted shade or haziness in the clear state, slow switching, and poor viewing angle. A bigger problem for the latter is constant energy consumption. What is common to them both is high cost, which has prohibited a wider uptake.

A UK University spinout is testing new technology that promises to solve all the said problems and do this at a lower cost.

The biggest eventual markets are automotive and architectural applications. This remains a target however the company particularly seeks early adopters in different markets that can make use of smaller areas (like a rooflight as opposed to a glass facade).

The company has developed a new type of switchable material which is stable over a wide temperature range, and has been switched 27 million times without failure. The manufacturing process has been designed with roll-to-roll (R2R) manufacturing in mind and a prototype R2R manufacturing system has been built. The new technology also reduces infra-red/heat transmission and can in future provide a fully automated solution to regulate light and temperature inside the vast glass areas and facades in modern cities, saving energy on both heating and cooling.

The picture shows a tiled demonstrator with the new technology. Large areas can be covered and the devices can also be pixelated down to 300dpi. The opacity is continually variable from transparent to translucent and the translucent state can be coloured. The technology has been developed for flexible plastic sheets but can also be applied directly to glass or be laminated into glass.

In clear state, it is clearer than the other smart windows on the market (see further pictures below). Energy is consumed whilst switching but not in the steady states.

The company seeks technical cooperation with manufacturers of smart windows or of regular windows and privacy solutions who want to diversify into smart windows. The aim is to validate the technology on real life products with solutions bigger than those in the pictures.
Longer term projects under technical cooperation are also sought with smart cities, buildings and transport in mind.

Advantages & innovations

Advantages include significantly better optical and energy performance compared to solutions on the market and at a lower cost. This new technology is a flexible film which can switch from completely transparent to translucent at the touch of a button and also be partially switched. It requires no power except a short pulse to switch between transparent and translucent. Light is diffused when translucent and unwanted heat is reflected in all states. No power is needed to maintain either state and it has been reliably switched a 27 million times. The innovation lends itself to roll-to-roll production techniques and can be produced efficiently.

Stage of development

Available for demonstration

Partner sought

Type of partner sought: industry. Specific activity of partner: manufacturers and developers of (smart) windows and privacy solutions who want to diversify into smart windows. Role of partner sought: building jointly a bigger roll-to-roll machine, testing and feedback are sought to facilitate bringing a product to market. The UK company will supply the film.