Glass panes have been used in windows since the times of ancient Rome, but they exhibit poor thermal insulation. Aerogels made from silanized cellulose nanofibres are better thermal insulators and more transparent than glass, offering an approach to developing window products to reduce the loss of building heating and cooling energy.
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This is a summary of: Abraham, E. et al. Highly transparent silanized cellulose aerogels for boosting energy efficiency of glazing in buildings. Nat. Energy https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-023-01226-7 (2023).
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Transparent aerogels reduce energy loss through building windows. Nat Energy 8, 327–328 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-023-01229-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-023-01229-4