Hydrogels in the form of microscopic soft beads suspended in a liquid form can block solar heat when outside temperatures rise. The main component of the hydrogel is a polymer, which has a low critical solution temperature. This has been developed by researchers from State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, College of Chemistryy- Chemical Engineering, UC Berkeley and Shihezi University.
在溶剂中，它在高温下不溶性，但在低温下可溶。将液体夹在两个玻璃板之间，并密封两个玻璃面板，这些玻璃面板在低温和高温下透明时会改变不透明之间的光学外观。这将有助于房屋内的温度中等温度，从而减少了加热或空调的需求。团队设计的材料是一种胶体 - 一种物质，其中不溶解的微小颗粒或液滴散布在大量其他材料中。新混合物的更大部分是水和酒精的混合物。漂浮在里面的是凝胶的微小地球。每个地球只有200至700nanometersacross. That makes the diameter of the thinnest human hair about 24 to 85 times wider than each glob. The gel contains a heat-sensitive polymer (a chemical made from chain-shaped molecules). It also contains water and glycerol, a type of alcohol. The water and glycerol attach loosely to the polymer. This keeps the gel from dissolving into the larger volume of liquid. This also ensures that the gel globs do not react with each other to form one big lump.
In the gel recipe, the polymer changes shape whenever the temperature rises above 32 degree Celsius (about 90 degree Fahrenheit). At lower temperatures, the polymer's molecules remain long and straight. This allows them to dissolve throughout the gel. Now, lots of light can pass through the gel, making it appear clear. But once the gel's temperature rises above 32 degree Celsius, the polymer molecules coil into small balls. These can not dissolve into the gel. That makes the gel look cloudy. When dispersed throughout the liquid in between the window panes, these globs now block some light.
在模拟下，新的智能窗口堵塞了四分之一，约占太阳灯发出的可见光和红外能量（热）。智能窗口将该盒子内部的温度降低了20度的celcius-窗户之间的液体吸收了灯的某些能量。但是，随着聚合物填充的地球变云，更多的能量被阻塞。一旦它们的聚合物分子取消，全球再次变得清晰。当它们冷却32度celcius时，就会发生这种情况。当他的团队在聚合物中添加了称为氧化钒的矿物的微小颗粒时，新的智能窗口堵塞了太阳灯的40％。

南南技术大学的另一组科学家团队开发了一个“智能”窗口，它可以使您变黑或变亮，而无需外部电源。这个独特的自着窗口需要零电力才能运行，并且也是可充电电池。窗户的存储能量可用于其他目的，例如点亮低功率的电子设备，例如发光二极管。当前，市场上的窗口解决方案要么使用永久着色，该着色无法在夜晚变亮，要么是只能使用外部电源来更改其轻型传输属性的窗户。但是，“智能”的窗口可以在明亮的日光下变成凉爽的蓝色色调，将光穿透切割约一半，然后在晚上或根据需要将其恢复回透明玻璃。“我们的新智能电致色素窗口是双功能的；它也是一个透明的电池。当电解质中存在氧气时，它会充电并变成蓝色 - 换句话说，它会呼吸。”
这样的创新技术可以调整当天建筑物中的阳光量，这有望在冷却和照明成本上节省大量资金。该研究发表在《自然通讯》杂志上。