"Windows by Day, Lights by Night"… Commercialization of Smart Composite Film

KAIST Research Team Develops Transparent Film with Antenna, Heating, and Light-Emitting Functions

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] A smart composite film that can be used as a glass window during the day, lighting at night, and even has antenna and heat dissipation functions has been commercialized.

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) announced on the 19th that a joint research team led by Professor Lee Seung-seop of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Professor Yoon Jun-bo of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering succeeded in commercializing the "transparent smart composite film." This film integrates antenna, heating wire, and light-emitting functions on a transparent film or glass plate. It enables smooth 5G communication, high-efficiency heat dissipation, and information transmission simultaneously without obstructing the view. The film is currently being developed for automotive products by THN Co., Ltd., an automotive parts company, in collaboration with SensorView Co., Ltd., a 5G antenna company, and the prototype was selected for the 2022 Hyundai Motor Tech Day.

The research teams conducted transparent film research using different methods. Professor Lee Seung-seop’s team studied antennas and heating wires based on transparent conductive films, while Professor Yoon Jun-bo’s team researched transparent light emission using ultra-small 3D patterns. The transparent conductive film developed by Professor Lee’s team boasts world-class performance with 90% transparency (including PET film), sheet resistance of 0.3 ohms/sq, and 1% haze. The transparent antenna film was developed for 5G specialized networks requiring many antennas due to its short frequency characteristics, and it is expected to be applied in smart buildings, factories, autonomous driving, and connected mobility. The transparent heating wire film enables low-power, high-efficiency heat dissipation and can be widely applied for defrosting glass windows, securing the view of external cameras, winter rider applications, and indoor heating using radiant heat.

Professor Yoon Jun-bo’s team’s transparent light-emitting film features light guided from LEDs placed at the edges that emits light in only one direction of the film and has already been commercialized under the trademark "Magic Lighting Sheet." The transparent light-emitting film is targeted mainly at future mobility lighting, such as "Lighting Sunroof," which is transparent to see the sky during the day and turns into indoor lighting at night, and "Lighting Glass," which emits light in specific shapes from vehicle glass. It has also been released as "Transparent Vision Lighting," which can be installed in vision inspection equipment.

Professor Lee explained, "Through the commercialization of this transparent smart composite film, which has the world’s best performance transparent conductive film and enables 5G communication and high-efficiency heat dissipation, it is expected to be widely applied not only in vehicles and indoor heating but also in smart buildings, smart factories, and autonomous driving."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.