Smart Glass Applications with Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal (PDLC) Technology
Learning Objectives:
- Describe various passive and active smart glass technologies and their appropriate applications.
- Explain how PDLC technology works, including the chemical make-up and reaction when electrical current is applied.
- Discuss privacy, energy use reduction, occupant comfort and other benefits of glazing with PDLC technology.
- Describe real-world application of PDLC technology for privacy, energy savings, light management, and other benefits.
Credits:
Some 20 years ago, an article appeared in the Chicago Tribune titled “Whatever Happened to 'Smart Window?’”i
Just a few years ago, editor and thinker Geoff Colvin predicted in a Fortune magazine article titled “Brave new work: The office of tomorrow,” that in the future “Offices will be outfitted with special window glass” that can morph into “frosted privacy shades.”ii
Today, the promise of glazing that transforms from transparent to opaque/tinted is finally and firmly here. Not only can the most sophisticated “switchable” glass control the amount of privacy, light, and heat that enters a space, some of the technologies can also function as a rear projection surface for residential home theater display or high-profile corporate and retail display.
Companies have certainly warmed up to smart glass. Those with smart glass installed in their buildings include Google, Bank of America, Disney, Sketchers, Merck, Comcast, eBay, Microsoft, Progressive, IBM, Fox News, and more.
However, some in the design community remain unaware that smart glass refers to various technologies, and that those technologies differ for various best uses.
This article clarifies the diverse technologies used in so-called “smart glass” or “switchable glass,” and the applications where each makes most sense, then narrows the focus onto the properties of polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) technology. The course covers the privacy, energy efficiency, occupant comfort, and other features of smart glass, and guides the designer and architect on appropriate specification.
Images courtesy of Glass Apps
Smart glass made with polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) technology turns glazing from clear to opaque in a split second with the flip of a switch or the tap on a smart phone or tablet.
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