Prototype for low-energy consuming switchable smart windows developed

A novel technique for confining liquid crystals in an architecture known as hierarchical double networks of polymers have been developed, said the Ministry of Science and Technology on Thursday.

The technique can provide next-generation solutions for low-energy consumption on-demand switchable smart windows that operate between low and high transmittance, said the ministry.

“Interpenetrating polymer networks are soft matter systems that optimise different functionalities such as mechanical, optical, and electrical properties to provide novel solutions in engineering and biomedical applications. A specific class of these architectures, dubbed hierarchical double networks, that synergistically combine rigid and soft networks to realise thermal, electrical, and optical properties, is currently attracting a lot of attention,” it noted.