Could this Chameleon-like Material Heat and Cool Buildings?

if a building is well insulated i don't see how this would have much effect

This channel is a science lesson and current inventions all in one. Great podcast Belinda, as always. If they could incorporate this into a paint you can use it on the inside to find inefficient joints, spaces and trim where air might be escaping or penetrating, depending on the season

Honestly, as fascinating as this is, I don't see houses and homes using these techniques. It would be a better idea to prioritise this material and technique for large, public and multi access/use buildings, like hospitals, schools, train stations...

Good video, I was thinking if I fix my van up. I might look into some color changing paint.

"green house gas" lmao

I can't imagine that the upkeep on it would be something that an owner wants to deal with

Termochromic solutions may solve problem with extremely higher temperature in cities. Concrete and asphalt heat up our cities to the point when diference feeled without termometer on wild and in cities. Which also lead people to additional conditioning. And it don't need platinum for God's sake! Unlike electrochromic.

Lost me at gold wires. So, I'll never see the electric option. Cynicism all the way up. What's wrong with being at the mercy of sumlight & ambient temp? Isnt that the point?

Coming from the age of reading as a child onward Popular Science and Popular Mechanics magazines... just more stuff that will never take hold in real use.

I don't think a lot of people would want to live in a chameleon 😏😏

I would be interested in more biomimicry--both the wise and the ridiculous.

Nifty! How does it stand up to sunlight? When time takes a toll, does any of it become toxic, and can it run off into the surrounding area? How long does the temperature changing capacity last? What does it cost to decommission it, some day, if it stops working?

A house paint that turns dark in the winter and white in the summer seems like a cheap way to help regulate temperatures.

Especially since the technology is already accessible to the average person.

Seems like the thermochromic solution is much better.
25° is a perfectly reasonable temperature to automatically change.
And that requires no voltage or other complicated systems at all.
Put that in a paint and use it as is, or if possible, just bake it into tile immediately and put it on the roof.

interesting!!!

Like most things new, there are some excellent ideas out there but we keep running into the inertia of the building industry.

in the abstract, it's interesting to see these sorts of ideas. however, given the speed with which the construction industry adopts new ideas, it'll be about 150 years before anything like this comes into being. and that's assuming the idea itself truly is economical and practical.

Architecture and building science information while getting to listen to this beautiful Indian Queen. Great channel.

I had a couple color-changing Hot Wheels cars as a kid. Once a left one of them too close to the bathroom heater while taking a bath, and the color-changing coating got damage, and was left in a lightly changing sickly tone (the wheels got partly melted as well, I'm afraid).

Anecdote aside, I wonder if this substances would be able to whistand outdoors exposure and temperature changes, and wouldn't end up as the poor toy car in couple years time.

I like your content. Thanks! May I please request content on raised concrete slab systems. Cheers.

Pumicecrete is by far the best building material on the planet Pumicecrete is a mixture of pumice cement and water mixed and poured into a set of reusable forms walls are poured from 12"to 24" thick pumicecrete is fireproof termite proof rust rot and mold proof non toxic and has a high R value and good sound attenuation solid poured walls means no critters can live in your walls Pumicecrete can be built for a fraction of the cost and time and pumice is one of the few building materials that can go directly from the mine to the job site ready to use without any additional possessing and zero waste
Take care Ray

Very interesting! Does the pigment work indefinitely, or do they eventually fatigue?

Belinda, two years ago I replaced my roof that lower the temperature in my house during the hot and cold temperatures in Dallas TX. It would be interesting if I added Chameleon-like material to lower it more.

Do you know why temperature-sensitive colors stop working after a while? I've had this happen with a number of products. I think it takes around 3 years, but it might be as much as ten years.

Hi @Belinda, can you tell us what you think about System 3E perlite bricks?

I think before these materials REALLY make it for buildings, we will be seeing them in high end, and medium end utilitarian fashion.
As oxymoronic as that is to say
there are people who would buy expensive dyes and fabrics if it made them look cool, and also stay cool in the weather.
Maybe even on cars too.

Clothes, Cars, these are not huge surfaces to cover with a coating. A building is where it gets crazy expensive for little return.

Been thinking of this idea for years now, never gathered the courage to actually work on it.
Fascinating seeing other people do. However, the thermocromic paint in time would unfortunately start to loose efficiency and the electrochromic technology still needs much upgradation.

Hope they keep working on it 🙇🏻‍♂️