SF Cleantech Pitchfest

I gave a short presentation on my ARPA-E supported project towards paint-on window coatings at Berkeley Lab’s Cleantech Pitchfest in San Francisco on June 1, 2016. To view the entire Pitchfest with the other 5 presenters, see https://youtu.be/gMCt2f_NlEY DIY Efficient Windows: Applying paint-on coatings for energy-efficient windows Replacing millions of porous windows with energy-efficient versions in older buildings and homes can be prohibitively expensive. Berkeley Lab’s Raymond Weitekamp, a Caltech PhD, has a new approach: an inexpensive, paint-on, energy-efficient coating that can be applied simply and evenly without the help of a professional—while the windows are still in place. »

What is Structural Color?

Our everyday sense of color is based on the absorption of light. If our shirt appears red, a dye or pigment is absorbing all of the colors except for red. By contrast, structural color is based on reflection, not absorption. Structural color is an important consequence of the fact that light is a wave. We can define the color either through the wavelength — the physical distance between the repeating crests, or the period — the amount of time for the wave to repeat. »