Switchable technology of SageGlass
SageGlass swithchable technology is a electrochromic technology, which is controllable, so it can be tinted or cleared by the user (or building system) on demand. Its purpose is solar control since it modulates both incoming light and heat from the sun. SageGlass is not intended to provide privacy. That is an entirely different product with a completely different purpose. Privacy glass is used to block the view, so it’s often found in interior areas such as board rooms and bathrooms. SageGlass is designed to block unwanted sunlight, heat and glare – but to continuously preserve the view.
SageGlass nanotechnology incorporates layers of coatings on glass, which in total are less than 1/50th the thickness of a human hair (figure B). The coatings are applied using sputter deposition, which is a tried and true, low-cost, low-risk manufacturing process that has been used for decades to manufacture millions of square feet of low-e glass.
What SageGlass is not:
Thermochromic technology modulates the amount of light coming through the glass in response to changing environmental temperatures (such as sunlight exposure, air temperature and wind velocity). People don’t have control over the glass.
Photochromic technology modulates the amount of light coming through the glass in response to changing light levels outside (think of transition sunglasses). People don’t have control over the glass.
Suspended particle devices tint and clear in a manner that looks like electrochromics but at the micro-level it’s actually very different. It’s “organic” technology, meaning there are polymer-based materials sandwiched in the glass. Any time you expose organic materials to things like intense sunlight, UV and infrared heat, you have to worry about durability. Also, the technology significantly underperforms SageGlass in both light control and energy reduction.
You can find moore information about SageGlass in the following link: http://sageglass.com/technology/switchable-technology/