Smart Windows on the World

energy innovation

Dr. Delia Milliron is making windows — smart. She and her team of postdoctoral and graduate student researchers are making large-scale gains in energy conservation by focusing on the nanoscale of materials.

She has developed a new material that when applied to windows can dynamically control the amount of infrared light that passes through. The windows can reveal light without transferring heat and minimize our need for air conditioning. Imagine the benefits during a hot Texas summer.

“We began studying nanocrystals because of their potential to solve the puzzle of how to separately control light and heat entering buildings as the sun shines through our windows,” said Milliron. 

This next-generation technology is already earning Milliron and her team prestigious awards for opening new pathways to discovery.

“I’ve always been motivated in my research with solving problems and discovering what positive outcomes could result. That’s certainly the case for our smart windows research. Advancing the technology of smart windows is going to influence the buildings of the future.” said Milliron. 

Dr. Milliron’s work is supported through the T. Brock Hudson Professorship in Chemical Engineering, an endowed professorship established through a generous gift from the late Brock Hudson, B.S. ’47 in chemical engineering, M.S. ’49.