Switchable mirror

By using a thin film of magnesium-titanium alloy, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology has produced a switchable mirror that can be easily transformed between reflective and transparent states. The mirror window is 60 x 70 cm in size, and has been designed to reduce energy consumed by air conditioning systems in buildings and automobiles by over 30%.The switchable mirror consists of two layers of glass enclosing a cavity and coated on their interior surfaces with the alloy film. A gas that contains hydrogen at a low concentration of about 1% or oxygen at a concentration of about 20% is introduced to the cavity to activate the switching behavior.

Source: aist.go.jpAdded: 19 March 2007