Smart windows blocking solar heat

Keeping curtains and windows closed, lowering roller shutters, extending awnings, or even completely taping up windows: during a heatwave, everyone does everything in their power to keep the heat out. For many, an air conditioner or a fan ultimately remains the only solution.

TNO wanted to find a more climate-friendly solution to keep our buildings cooler. In collaboration with partners including UHasselt (Hasselt University), they have finally succeeded in developing smart windows. "The smart windows feature a thin extra coating," says lead researcher and IUMAT-colleague Pascal Buskens on the Radio 1 programme De Wereld Vandaag. "It is a layer of transparent paint containing smart material that senses for itself whether the temperature is high or low. As soon as it gets warmer than 21 degrees, the windows start blocking the heat."

The thermochromic glass contains VO₂ particles which automatically block solar heat. At IUMAT, we are currently working together with TNO to improve the performance of these VO₂ based materials. This is exactly the kind of innovation we advocate for: bridging materials science with practical, everyday impact.