Team develops smart window that can store energy

BENGALURU: Scientists from Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences ( CeNS ) and Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced and Scientific Research (JNCASR) developed a cost-effective polymeric electrochromic (polymers that can change colour) smart window which can store energy .

"It has the potential of replacing the costly traditional smart windows in modern structures," the department of science and technology (DST) said in a statement.

The work carried out by Prof GU Kulkarni, Ashutosh K Singh and team has been published in 'Journal of Materials Chemistry A'.

Pointing out that electrochromic smart windows have the potential of contributing to efficient power management of modern infrastructures, DST, however, said high processing and material costs of such windows, especially the traditional ones made of tin doped Indium oxide (ITO), have resulted in limited market uptake of the technology.

"CeNS and JNCASR scientists found a cost-effective solution by utilising a chemically synthesised conducting polymer - called poly(o-methoxyaniline) (PMOANI) - as an electrochromic layer over a low-cost transparent conducting electrode to form a smart window. The electrochromic device exhibited an excellent optical contrast of 57% between coloured and transparent states," the department said.

It added that the device has a rapid switching ability and can perform several transparency switches as well as charging or discharging cycle (energy storage) without any degradation in performance.

"When a smart window is in a "dark (blue) state", it is in a charge state, which means energy storage in the dark (blue) state of the device can be utilised to power a "time display" or any small electronic gadget. Therefore, it demonstrates that the smart window device shows dual functionality by switching its colour from a dark (blue) state to a transparent (bleached) one while discharging to power a small electronic gadget," DST added.