This special coating approach causes the pane to emit infrared radiation at a specific wavelength window to outer space, with no absorption by the atmosphere nor reflection back onto the pane. The scientists coated the glass with specifically designed polymer and silver layers.
#AIR AROUND THE CLOCK WINDOWS#
The process is the same as can be observed on poorly insulated windows in winter. On the underside of this pane, water vapor from the air condenses into water. It thus cools itself down to as much as 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit) below the ambient temperature. The new device essentially consists of a specially coated glass pane, which both reflects solar radiation and also radiates away its own heat through the atmosphere to outer space. Researchers at ETH Zurich have now developed a technology that, for the first time, allows them to harvest water 24 hours around the clock, with no energy input, even under the blazing sun.
Self-cooling and protection from radiation This is because the sun heats the foils during the day, which makes condensation impossible. However, with current passive technologies, such as dew-collecting foils, water can be extracted only at night. Further away from the coast, practically often the only remaining option is to condense atmospheric humidity through cooling, either through processes that similarly require high energy input or by using “passive” technologies that exploit the temperature swing between day and night. Communities near the ocean can desalinate seawater for this purpose, but doing so requires a large amount of energy. Credit: ETH Zurich / Iwan Hächlerįresh water is scarce in many parts of the world and must be obtained at great expense. The pilot condenser atop an ETH Zurich building.
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