C haptEr 9 design Environments and systems
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carefully take into account the overall context can often demonstrate appropriate levels for the situation at hand.
applications of nanomaterials
Nanomaterials already have wide use in relation to light, and future
uses are seemingly imagined every day in a broad spectrum of application areas. A major sphere of both current use and development
is in the area of the control or enhancement of reflected light on
surfaces or the ways it can be absorbed or transmitted in or through
materials. As we will see, various kinds of thin films, coatings, or
sheets have been developed to control light in these ways that have
applications in many widely varying fields and in relation to a huge
number of products.
Chromogenic materials are also expected to have improved performances through the use of nanomaterials. Chromogenic materials change their optical properties when subjected to a change
in their surrounding energy stimuli. Changes can be caused by
variations in light intensity, electrical field or charge, temperature,
and the chemical or mechanical environment. Respective materials
include photochromics, electrochromics, thermochromics, chemochromics, and mechanochromics. The induced changes affect their
optical character. All can exhibit what is perceived as a color-changing behavior. Applications are numerous and range from devices
that use the color change as a type of sensor to transparency-changing glasses used in a wide variety of architectural, consumer, and
industrial products.
Few technologies are as emblematic of the advances our society has
made over time as devices that emit light. Lights of one type or
another perform a multitude of tasks or functions. Our habitable
environments are themselves illuminated. Light-emitting devices
in current use range from light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and films
that seem to simply glow by themselves to common fluorescents
(themselves once epitomizing new lighting breakthroughs) and
other ubiquitous technologies. Nanomaterials and nanotechnologies are already rapidly finding many applications here and will
undoubtedly continue to emerge to become the next fundamental
improvement in this domain. The application potentials are literally enormous. Of particular importance are the many nanoparticles and nanocrystalline structures being developed that become
luminescent when subjected to an energy source. Nanophosphors
are expected to enormously improve the efficiency of many highefficiency fluorescent lamps of one type or another. Certainly
344
carefully take into account the overall context can often demonstrate appropriate levels for the situation at hand.
applications of nanomaterials
Nanomaterials already have wide use in relation to light, and future
uses are seemingly imagined every day in a broad spectrum of application areas. A major sphere of both current use and development
is in the area of the control or enhancement of reflected light on
surfaces or the ways it can be absorbed or transmitted in or through
materials. As we will see, various kinds of thin films, coatings, or
sheets have been developed to control light in these ways that have
applications in many widely varying fields and in relation to a huge
number of products.
Chromogenic materials are also expected to have improved performances through the use of nanomaterials. Chromogenic materials change their optical properties when subjected to a change
in their surrounding energy stimuli. Changes can be caused by
variations in light intensity, electrical field or charge, temperature,
and the chemical or mechanical environment. Respective materials
include photochromics, electrochromics, thermochromics, chemochromics, and mechanochromics. The induced changes affect their
optical character. All can exhibit what is perceived as a color-changing behavior. Applications are numerous and range from devices
that use the color change as a type of sensor to transparency-changing glasses used in a wide variety of architectural, consumer, and
industrial products.
Few technologies are as emblematic of the advances our society has
made over time as devices that emit light. Lights of one type or
another perform a multitude of tasks or functions. Our habitable
environments are themselves illuminated. Light-emitting devices
in current use range from light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and films
that seem to simply glow by themselves to common fluorescents
(themselves once epitomizing new lighting breakthroughs) and
other ubiquitous technologies. Nanomaterials and nanotechnologies are already rapidly finding many applications here and will
undoubtedly continue to emerge to become the next fundamental
improvement in this domain. The application potentials are literally enormous. Of particular importance are the many nanoparticles and nanocrystalline structures being developed that become
luminescent when subjected to an energy source. Nanophosphors
are expected to enormously improve the efficiency of many highefficiency fluorescent lamps of one type or another. Certainly