Nano-Material Will Ensure That You Never Wash Windows Again!
Filed Under: Environmental News, Green Technology on December 16, 2009
Researchers at Tel Aviv University are working on a nano-technology that can coat glass on windows, solar panels, and other things to repel dirt, dust, and water. The material is being created to improve solar panels, which can lose up to 30% of their efficiency just from dust and water spots.
Creating self-washing glass for windows and solar panels is a great idea on several levels. Brighter windows into your home mean better heating and natural light, cleaner panels mean better solar absorption and photovoltaics, and think of what it could do for automobiles, greenhouses, and more.
Once the technology goes commercial, it would be applied as a sheer coating to existing glass. The stuff was originally invented to coat some nerve cells to battle Alzheimer’s, but was not well-suited to the task. By accident, it was realized that it could coat glass or other clear surfaces.
The material is made up of peptides which are placed into a vacuum under high pressure, nanotubes self-assemble. These tiny nanotubes (1 billionth of a meter in length, pictured above under microscope) are naturally resistant to water and heat. The material is also capable of storing electrical energy for short periods of time as a super-capacitor.
This last benefit could also make it ideal for coating solar cells themselves to enhance their capacity.
The researchers have already been approached with commercial interest in the technology, so it may be on the market sooner rather than later.
Cool!
