Development of switchable mirror glass

— R&D strategy toward its practical use —

Abstract

“Switchable mirror” is a new thin film material that can be switched between transparent and mirror states. Using this material on window glass saves energy by effectively shading rooms from sunshine, thereby decreasing cooling load in summer. In this paper, we introduce our R&D strategy for further development and practical deployment of this material. In addition to R&D of the material itself we also measured the amount of energy saved when the material was used in the windows of buildings. The results we obtained from such field tests will enable us to develop a window glazing with better energy-saving performance.