A nano-thin layer of gold may help keep lenses from fogging, a problem faced by a lot of us. Glasses fog up when moisture in humid air, or from the person’s breath, hits a lens. As the moisture is warmer than the lenses, it condenses into visible drops on the glasses. This happens frequently in the winter when people come from the outside into warm buildings or when a person is wearing a mask, which does not have a tight seal around the wearer’s nose, resulting in warm, humid air moving upwards as they exhale.
Foggy lenses can be risky as they prevent the person from seeing clearly.
To provide relief to glass wearers, researchers from ETH Zurich in Switzerland have come up with a solution of heating glasses lenses in a passive way to prevent them from fogging.
In the paper published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, the researchers said they have come up with a new coating material made of extremely thin clusters of gold. The clusters are placed between the thin layers of titanium oxide, which is electrically insulating.
ALSO READ:
The layer of gold absorbs light from the sun instead of using electricity and warms the glass by up to eight degrees Celsius. This prevents moisture in the air from condensing on the lenses. As the coating allows light from the sun to pass through it, it remains invisible to the naked eye.
While the refractive properties of titanium oxide help with the heating effect, the outer layer protects the gold from wear and tear.
However, there are also some drawbacks to this anti-fogging approach. As the gold coating draws energy from the sun to heat up, it will not be helpful in the winter months in some places where it gets dark by late afternoon. In such cases, researchers suggest heating up the coating by using electricity from a battery hidden away in the arms of the glasses.
Since very little gold is used in the coating, the cost of the eyewear is unlikely to be very high. However, to keep costs down, scientists are now looking at other, less expensive metals for use in the coating.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
Check out our in-depth Market Coverage, Business News & get real-time Stock Market Updates on CNBC-TV18. Also, Watch our channels CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz and CNBC Bajar Live on-the-go!
Lok Sabha Elections 2024 | How critical is Phase-5 for both NDA and I.N.D.I.A
May 20, 2024 7:30 AM
Lok Sabha Election Phase 5 Voting Live Updates: Leaders, actors among early voters as 49 seats poll today
May 20, 2024 6:34 AM