Retrofittable and Transparent Super-Insulator for Single-Pane Windows

NanoSD, Inc. with its partners will develop a transparent, nanostructured thermally insulating film that can be applied to existing single-pane windows to reduce heat loss. To produce the nanostructured film, the team will create hollow ceramic or polymer nanobubbles and consolidate them into a dense lattice structure using heat and compression. Because it is mostly air, the resulting nanobubble structure will exhibit excellent thermal barrier properties. The film can be transparent because the nanostructures are too small to be seen, but achieving this transparency needs processing innovations for assembling the film. The film should also be lightweight, flexible, fire/chemical resistant, soundproof, and condensation resistant. The nanobubble film will be integrated with a low emissivity layer to achieve the final insulating performance. The team will use cost-effective processing and assembly technologies to manufacture its window coating at a cost less than $5 per square foot.