A new breakthrough in window technology has the potential to significantly reduce energy consumption and combat climate change. Engineers from the University of Notre Dame have developed a transparent coating for windows that can help cool interior spaces, using no energy and preserving the view. This innovative technology, known as a Transparent Radiative Cooler (TRC), could potentially reduce electric cooling costs by one-third in hot climates compared to conventional glass windows.
The TRC is made up of multiple ultra-thin layers of materials, including silica, alumina, and titanium oxide, topped off with a polymer used in contact lenses. This 1.2-micron-thick coating outperforms all other heat-reducing glass coatings on the market. The researchers were able to design this best-in-class material by using quantum computing combined with machine learning, which allowed them to test each possible configuration of layers in a fraction of a second to identify the optimum combination and order of materials.