Engineers use quantum computing to develop transparent window coating that prevents heat and saves energy | Rare Techy

Newswise – Heating accounts for 15 percent of global energy consumption. Clear windows allow the sun to warm the interior, while air-conditioning should cool. But if the window can cool the room, why not use energy and protect the view?

Tengfei Luo, the Doreen Family Professor of Energy Studies at the University of Notre Dame, and postdoctoral fellow It’s Seongmin Kim has developed a transparent coating for windows that does just that.

The coating, called transparent cooling (TRC), allows the lamp to penetrate and prevent other heat-producing lamps. The researchers say that this invention can reduce energy heating costs by one third in hot climates compared to conventional glass windows.

Air conditioners for homes and cars can be used to help with the challenges of climate change. Luo and his team was able to design their best-in-class TRC using quantum computing and machine learning.

TRC consists of several very thin layers of material that must be assembled in the correct configuration. By creating a computer model of the TRC, the researchers were able to test every possible configuration of the layers in a fraction of a second to identify the optimal combination and sequence of materials.

Inspired by these results, they created the new coating by layering silk, alumina and titanium oxide on a glass base – then filling it with the same polymer used to make contact lenses. The result is a 1.2 micron-thick coating that outperforms other heat-reducing glass coatings on the market.

“I think the quantum computing strategy is as important as the material itself,” he said Luo. “Using this approach, we were able to find the best-in-class material, design a cooler and test its cooling effect.”

Their research was published in ACS Energy Letters, a journal of the American Chemical Society.

Tengfei Luo and his MONSTER Lab teamed up Kyung Wrong University in South Korea for this research.