SCIENTISTS
HAVE INVENTED A NEW MATERIAL THAT HARVESTS AND STORES SOLAR HEAT
THE MATERIAL COULD ENABLE SELF-WARMING
CLOTHES AND EVEN INCREASE THE DRIVING RANGE OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES.
Imagine
a sweater that could automatically increase its temperature on command. You’d
no longer have to worry about grabbing an extra jacket when you go out at night
in case it gets chillier. Or what about a windshield that can warm up on its
own to automatically clear ice away? Both sound like things you might have
glimpsed inBack to the Future 2, but each could soon be a reality thanks
to a new material.
Researchers
at MIT have invented a new transparent polymer film that allows heat to be
harvested from the sun and saved for later use. Unlike traditional methods of
storing solar energy, which takes heat from the sun and stores it as
electricity, the new solar heat-storing transparent polymer film takes the
sun’s energy and saves it in a chemical state. Once saved, the stored solar
heat can be unleashed via a simple chemical reaction.
"Whereas
heat inevitably dissipates over time no matter how good the insulation around
it, a chemical storage system can retain the energy indefinitely in a stable
molecular configuration, until its release is triggered by a small jolt of heat
(or light or electricity)," explains MIT News.
Previous
attempts at storing solar heat in a chemical state had limited utility because
they were designed to be used in liquid solutions, according to David
Zhitomirsky, one of the postdocs credited with the finding. However, since the
new material takes the form of a solid-state film, it can be integrated with a
wider array of products. The film is so thin it can be sandwiched between the
layers of glass that make up a windshield or even woven into clothing. Once
woven into an object, the material would just need a slight blast of heat or
electricity to unleash the stored energy, which can warm a surface up by as
much as 10C (50F).
This
could mean clothes you wear during daylight hours could soak up heat reserves
for later in the night. Since the new material is transparent it could also be
used in the front windshields of cars to automatically melt ice that forms.
Unlike rear car windows, which usually have heating wires embedded in them to
melt ice, laws forbid such wires from being placed in front windows because
they could obstruct the driver’s view.
But
what’s even better from a practical standpoint as far as automobiles are
concerned is that the new solar heat-storing material reduces the energy drain
that electric cars experience in cold weather as much of their energy is
diverted to heating and deicing. This energy drain can reduce EV driving ranges
by as much as 30%. Instead if those electric vehicles could store extra heat in
a chemical reaction, their battery’s energy would be free to be diverted to
other functions.
But
don’t expect to see this amazing solar material in your clothes and cars just
yet. Currently the material is undergoing further refinements. Right now its
transparency has a yellowish tint, which the researchers hope to eliminate
before the material is ready for commercialization. They are also working to
increase the temperature output for various uses to 20C (68F).
BY MICHAEL GROTHAUS
http://www.fastcompany.com/3055273/scientists-have-invented-a-new-material-that-harvests-and-stores-solar-heat?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=fast-company-daily-newsletter&position=8&partner=newsletter&campaign_date=01082016
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