New inks use nanotechnology to control temperature in daily environments. Image source: Dr. Mohamed Taha, University of Melbourne, Australia Researchers at the University of Melbourne, Australia have developed the world's first "phase change ink" that can change the way houses and cars are heated and cooled. It can achieve complex "passive climate" control, with great potential to help reduce energy consumption and global greenhouse gas emissions. The study was published in the latest issue of the Royal Society of Chemistry's Journal of Materials Chemistry A. Research leader Dr. Mohammed Taha said that these inks can be used to develop coatings for passive heating and cooling. Passive climate control can create comfortable living conditions and reduce unnecessary energy consumption. For example, in order to provide heating in winter, the ink on the building facade can be automatically converted to pass more solar radiation during the day and provide better insulation to keep warm at night. In summer, they can form a barrier to block thermal radiation from the sun and the surrounding environment. Multifunctional "phase change inks" that use nanotechnology to control daily ambient temperatures are a proof of concept that can be laminated, sprayed, or added to paints and building materials. It can also be integrated into clothing to regulate body temperature in extreme environments, or used to manufacture large, flexible and wearable electronic devices such as flexible circuits, cameras and detectors, as well as gas and temperature sensors. Taha said that the new research means that existing structures and building materials can be renovated, and this ink is likely to be put on the market within 5 to 10 years. Through cooperation with the industry, it can also expand its scale and integrate it into existing new technologies as a solution to the challenges of global climate change. This breakthrough was achieved by discovering how to modify vanadium dioxide, one of the main components of "phase change materials". Phase change materials use thermal or electrical triggers to create enough energy for the material to transform itself under pressure. Previously, phase change materials needed to be heated to very high temperatures to activate their phase change properties. Dr. Taha's team tested how they triggered an insulator metal phase transition reaction in which the new material acts as a switch to prevent heat from exceeding a specific temperature. Researchers say new materials can adjust their heat absorption properties as needed, which means more intelligent bricks and paints can be designed. (Liao Xinshe)