It does look as though anything that intends to make a splash these days will need to carry the “smart” moniker in front of the name, but hopefully this will not end up as a case of crying wolf for the really genuine cases. In fact, this latest breakthrough involves what the researchers call as smart glass, and deservedly so, too. Smart glass here certainly surpasses petty situations like being scratch- or shatter-resistant, as the glass itself has special properties, since it carries materials which will be able to nurture the triboelectric effect.
The triboelectric effect works this way – it will first capture the energy inherent in static electricity which happens whenever two different materials collide. Basically, this new smart glass will be able to change color, as well as generate electricity, now how about that for flexibility and wonder?
Since glass is more often than not exposed to the elements, why not take advantage of the situation and maximize it? Come rain and heavy winds, and you have a very likely scenario for the triboelectric effect to kick in, resulting in this dual-layer glass that will be able to take advantage of such a situation, thanks to nanogenerators embedded in the first layer which will capture positively charged energy in water droplets, as the second layer that carries a couple of charged plastic sheets with tiny springs sandwiched in between, allowing increasing wind pressure on the glass to push the plastic sheets closer together, resulting in an electric current.
Now that’s smart!
Filed in . Read more about Science. Source: extremetech