Scientists develop game-changing ‘glass brick’ that could revolutionize construction: ‘The highest insulating performance’::The team of scientists developed an aerogel glass brick, which is a translucent and thermally insulating material.
Yes in a time where all insulated homes are desperate to keep the cool in during summer, adding more light through will really help us.
I can’t imagine there’s any reason they couldn’t make an opaque version of the same. Would probably look pretty cool in black. Or better yet, make them electrochromic so you can have more light in the winter and less in the summer.
I mean, I’m all for better insulated homes. I will say it’ll be hard to convince people to go for this aesthetic, though. It’s very 80s.
Right now I feel like MCM is having a moment sooooo maybe in twenty years the prices on this will go down and 80s style will be back in fashion?
Houses can have a “greenhouse” effect. Light passes through, and strikes something. It is absorbed and turned to heat. The object then radiates that as infrared. Thermally shielded windows then trap this in the room. With enough insulation, and enough light, this can become a significant issue.
This is assuming, however, that these bricks are transparent to visible light, but opaque to IR.
It’s more for public buildings with glass fronts. “Revolutionize construction” is a questionable headline. Aerogels have use for replacing insulation in other ways, though.
So if you could theoretically let out a big enough fart, it would be visible on Google Maps.
And yet Lemmy is so small I immediately knew which post they were referring to.
Aren’t we running out of sand? How is this a sustainable option.
We’re running out of concrete sand, glass sand doesn’t have to be as picky because you’re melting it
Yeah but then I’d have to stop throwing stones, and that’s one of my favorite pastimes.
Melt glass, inject air bubble, insert mixer and spin thousands of times. Pour into mold.
