Our work introduces a new method for achieving switchable transparency in glass with virtually zero requirement of energy. The ON or the OFF states can be maintained with no supply of energy! (unlike the case of many existing technology such as PDLC and Electrochromic). If opted for automated operation, a nominal energy of (< 12 W/m²) would be required for a few seconds only during switching of states. The device fabrication is simple involving micro-abrasive blasting to create precise surface roughness and utilizing refractive index matching with a synergistic liquid mixture. Transparency is toggled between “translucent” (dry state) and “transparent” (wet state) through fluid flow, the latter providing an additional feature of ‘curtain-rolling effect.’
Any type of roughness will not do! The key aspect is creation of the desired surface roughness without altering the refractive index of glass, which has been achieved in this work.
The work reported has great potential and is poised to outperform existing smart glass technologies in energy efficiency and scalability.
Rahul Muthukumaran, Srinivas Prasad Bengaluru Subramanyam, Shubhanshi Mishra, Swathi Kadaba, Krishnamoorthy Duraiswamy, Ashutosh K Singh, and Giridhar U Kulkarni
