Scientists have designed a clear window coating that could lower the temperature inside buildings using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced computing tech, as reported by Electrek.

As the climate gets hotter, technologies to cool the inside of homes and buildings are more important than ever.  With the sun's ultraviolet and near-infrared light passing through window glass to heat an enclosed room, having coating that can block that light is helpful. In addition, according to American Chemical Society, if that coating radiated heat from the surface of the window at a wavelength that passes through the atmosphere into outer space, the energy use from cooling can be reduced. 

Making It Happen

Researchers at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana and Kyung Hee University in Seoul made this happen. The team made computer models of Transparent Radiative Cooler (TRC) that has alternating thin layers of common materials, such as silicon nitride, silicon dioxide, and more. 

The researchers optimized the order, type, and combinations of layers by an iterative approach guided by machine learning and quantum computing that stores data with subatomic particles. What makes this computing method ideal is that it makes optimization a lot faster compared to conventional computers. As a result, it produced a coating design that when fabricated, can outperform conventional TRCs. 

According to the researchers, this clear window coating can be used for buildings and car windows. However, there is no indication of commercial scaling yet, but the researchers said that there's potential for the clear window coating to be sold commercially. 

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Better Window Coatings

The research is still in its early stages, but the team believes that the TRC window coating has potential to be optimized more. 

This could mean that it will be able to provide cooler temperatures inside buildings, thereby reducing the need for air conditioning. It could also be able to reduce the amount of heat radiation from the surface of the window, thereby reducing the need for heating. 

Aside from the clear coatings, there are other coolants such as mirrors and paints that could work. 

According to the researchers, this potential has been discussed before, but the computing required to optimize these coatings' performance was too expensive. The researchers wrote that this problem was solved with the idea of quantum machine learning. 

The machine learning systems can compute the optimal design for the TRC much faster than conventional computers. With this idea, the researchers were able to invent the new clear window coating. It's now up to scientists to come up with a way to manufacture the window coating and to make it viable for commercial use. 

If the concept of a clear window coating becomes feasible, it could help alleviate the rising temperature in the coming years. It could also lead to significant energy savings for the US economy. The new technology can be used for buildings and cars. Although it's a single technology, it could solve multiple problems. 

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Written by April Fowell