By spring 2007, Japan“s Asahi Glass Co. plans to market a high-function glass that becomes opaque when exposed to voltage. The glass is based on a new material that the company has developed. A compo…
By spring 2007, Japan“s Asahi Glass Co. plans to market a high-function glass that becomes opaque when exposed to voltage. The glass is based on a new material that the company has developed. A compound consisting of liquid crystal and various resins, the material can vary its transparency in a range of 0 – 85%, making it possible to develop glass that makes patterns or words appear on a transparent background. Because the level of opacity can be changed in just 3 milliseconds, faster than an LCD, the glass can also depict movement by varying the transparency levels of various parts of the patterns and words. Asahi Glass is targeting the product at interior decoration and information display applications. A light-modulation material that becomes transparent when voltage is applied has been used in dimmer glass but the new glass is the first to go opaque in the presence of an electrical current. Because the resins used in the compound are expensive, the new high-function glass will likely cost more than ordinary dimmer glass products.