Tunable Window Switches from Clear to Opaque in Seconds

Mar-22-16 A new sort of tunable window from Harvard researchers can transform from clear to opaque—or a range in between—with just a flick of a switch.

While tunable, or “smart windows” are not new, the version from Harvard differs in that it eschews conventional electrochemical reactions (which can be expensive to manufacture) in favor of soft, transparent elastomers coated in silver nanowires. Although the silver nanowires are usually too small to scatter light, applying an electric current will cause the nanowires to move towards each other, compressing the elastomer and causing the window to become opaque, like frosted glass. The transformation takes less than a second, and the amount of opacity can be controlled by the level of voltage applied.

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[GIZMAG.COM]
[SEAS.HARVARD.EDU]

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