Radiative Warming Glass for High-Latitude Cold Regions

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Building Physics
• Sustainable Energy

Background:

• Traditional window glazing exhibits poor energy efficiency, causing significant heat loss.
• Existing low-emissivity (low-e) glass is not optimized for radiative warming in cold climates.
• High solar transmittance (T_sol) and low mid-infrared thermal emissivity (ε_MIR) are crucial for energy-saving windows in high-latitude regions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and fabricate a near-ideal radiative warming window glass for high-latitude cold regions.
• To address the limitations of current low-e glass technology for energy efficiency in buildings.
• To reduce heating energy consumption and associated CO2 emissions in cold climates.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Drude's theory for numerical design of a film with specific electron density (n_e) and electron mobility (µ_e).
• Fabricated hydrogen-doped indium oxide (IHO) thin films.
• Performed energy-saving simulations for high-latitude climate zones (6 to 8).

Main Results:

• Achieved high solar transmittance (T_sol = 0.836) and low mid-infrared thermal emissivity (ε_MIR = 0.117) with IHO.
• Simulations showed a decrease in annual heating energy consumption by up to 6.6%.
• Demonstrated a CO2 emission reduction of 20.0 kg m^-2, outperforming 1165 commercial low-e glass products.

Conclusions:

• The developed radiative warming glass is highly effective for sustainable building energy savings in high-latitude cold regions.
• This technology contributes to reducing carbon footprint and advancing carbon neutrality goals.
• Optimized optical properties of IHO films offer a promising solution for energy-efficient windows.