Swedish scientists create heat-absorbing window ‘film’

The film serves as a waste-free heating and cooling system by absorbing heat, holding it and then releasing at night

Spotted: Researchers at Sweden’s Chalmers University have developed a film for windows that helps heat and cool a room. The film has the potential to help buildings reduce the need to use heating systems and air conditioning to regulate the temperature of a room.

The film is made of molecules that absorb heat from the sun. The film has a  yellow colour and becomes transparent as it absorbs heat. When the sun goes down, the film releases the heat absorbed during the day. Once the film releases all the heat and has reverted back to yellow, it is ready to absorb heat from the sun again. The team is currently working to improve the cost of the molecule and increase the concentration of the filtering the film. The Australian Research Council, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation and the Swedish Strategic Research Foundation are funding the study.