The materials of the future we are envisioning today
Translucent wood
Researchers develop a way to get transparent wood that looks like glass.
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Walls capable of cooling rooms down
A material composed of hydrogel and clay could soon competition to air conditioners.
When summertime arrives, air-conditioning devices become our greatest allies in the fight against high temperatures. But this scenario could change thanks to the material that has been developed by a group of Smart Construction students at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (Spain). Its name is Hydroceramic, made of clay and hydrogel and aimed at coating façades, capable of decreasing the interior temperature of a building by up to 6ºC in hot days.
This breakthrough construction material works through evaporation. It takes advantage of the properties of hydrogel to absorb up to 500 times its own weight in water which, when temperatures climb, evaporates until a decrease of heat inside the building and an increase of humidity within the environment is achieved. According to the tests performed, the best material to combine hydrogel with is clay.
One of the main benefits of this innovative construction material is its ability to reduce energy requirements, since its implementation in households could entail a 28% decrease in electricity consumption.
Image: IAAC
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