Inks for possible temperature control inside buildings and vehicles

Scientists have created the world’s first “phase change inks” that use nanotechnology to control temperature in everyday environments. Tinctures do this by adjusting the amount of radiation that can pass through them, from the surrounding environment.

The work of the team of Mohammad Taha, from the University of Melbourne in Australia.

These inks can be used to develop coatings that allow for passive heating and cooling, reducing the need to use energy for temperature control.

Passive air conditioning would allow you to live comfortably without wasting energy on it. For example, to provide comfortable winter heating, colors applied to the front of buildings could automatically transform to let in solar radiation during the day and provide more insulation to keep the heat at night. In the summer they can transform the barrier that blocks the thermal radiation from the sun and from outside in general.

Versatile “phase change inks” can be applied by laminating, spraying, or adding to paint and building materials. They can also be incorporated into clothing, relieving heat or cold in extreme environments, or in the creation of flexible electronics, wearable electronics, including cameras, detectors, thermometers, and gas sensors.

New inks use nanotechnology to control temperature in everyday environments. (Photo: Mohammad Taha, University of Melbourne)

The advances made by the Taha team in the line of research and development remove the previous restrictions that prevented the application of these inks at a high and low price.

If all goes well, they could reach the market within five to ten years.

Taha and colleagues describe the technical details of their discovery in the journal Materia Chemistry, under the title “Infrared modulation by phase-temperature transition of vanadium oxide & core compounds.” (Source: NCYT from Amazing)