NTU Singapore announced a hydrogel-based liquid-window prototype on November 5, 2020. The mixture was enclosed between glass panes, making this a glazing research development rather than a conventional adhesive retrofit film.

The liquid became opaque as it warmed and clearer as it cooled. Its water content also stored heat, giving the design a different thermal-management mechanism from a permanently tinted pane.

The university reported proof-of-concept outdoor tests in Singapore, Guangzhou and Beijing, alongside building-energy simulations using weather data from four cities. Those experiments and simulations were separate kinds of evidence; modeled percentage savings were not a monitored building-wide result.

The researchers were seeking industry partners for commercialization. The announcement therefore documents a prototype milestone, without establishing a production product or installation-ready specification.

Sources & reporting notes

  1. NTU scientists develop energy-saving liquid window Nanyang Technological University · Source dated November 5, 2020

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