Sparkling windows, magic tiles

Vertical cities seem to be the future with migration increasing. Something as simple as cleaning the high-rise buildings can be a formidable task. Unless research at Tel Aviv university delivers the goods and self-assembling self-cleaning nanotubes become a reality!

Car windows and solar panels can be made of the material that repels water and dirt. While this property is already exhibited by titanium dioxide nanoparticles, self-assembly aspect gives an added advantage. In solar panels this can be a boon.

At Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduates have developed a roof tile that remains white in summer to reflect the sun’s energy then turns black in winter to absorb the sun’s rays and heat buildings.

The “thermeleon” technology uses a common commercial polymer trapped between layers of plastic, including a black layer at the back. When the temperature drops, the white layer disappears, exposing the black layer. The tiles reflect about 80 percent of the sun’s heat when they are white, translating into a 20 percent savings in cooling costs. When the tiles turn dark, they absorb about 70 percent of solar energy.

Simple as it seems, the technology is costly. But the team is at it.

Innovation, and more innovation. Simply about looking at old problems with new eyes?