Physicists at the University of Colorado Boulder have developed a new window insulation material that could significantly improve how buildings manage heat around the world. Their creation functions somewhat like a high-tech form of Bubble Wrap, but it is designed for energy performance rather than packaging.
The material is called Mesoporous Optically Clear Heat Insulator, or MOCHI. It can be manufactured as thick blocks or thin flexible sheets that attach to the interior surface of standard windows. At present, MOCHI is only produced in the laboratory and is not yet available to consumers, but the researchers report that it is durable and nearly completely see-through.
Because of its clarity, MOCHI maintains an unobstructed view, which sets it apart from many other window insulation products.
"To block heat exchange, you can put a lot of insulation in your walls, but windows need to be transparent," said Ivan Smalyukh, senior author of the study and a professor of physics at CU Boulder. "Finding insulators that are transparent is really challenging."
The research team published its findings on Dec. 11 in the journal Science.
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