i.light - The 'Transparent Cement'

While breakthroughs in technology products are pretty common, it is rare to hear anything exciting about a mundane product like cement - the ubiquitous grey construction material that is the backbone of almost every building. Now, an Italian firm has figured out how to make it a little more exciting by making it 'transparent' and naming it, i.light!

The brainchild of the world's fifth largest producer, Bergamo-based Italcementi Group, the new cement is as solid as its original counterpart and even resembles it from certain angles - However, it allows light to seep through, giving the appearance of transparency.

The company created the new material at the request of architect Giampaolo Imbrighi, who wanted to showcase many 'green' aspects to the Italian Pavilion that he designed for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. However, it will not reveal the secret formula, stating just that it is an innovative mix of traditional cement and admixtures (chemicals or minerals that help make the material stronger or better in different ways).

To build the wall, the architect used the new cement to bond special rectangular multicolored polymer resin slats that had 2-3mm holes. The resins allowed soft light to permeate inside the building, blurring the difference between wall and window. Each19.7x39x2 inch panel, encased about 50 holes and allowed for 20 percent transparency. The architect also used the same material to create semi-transparent walls, that allowed for only 10 percent transparency.

Prior attempts to create transparent walls have involved placing fiber-optic wires through concrete mixtures. However, they are expensive to use and according to the Italian cement manufacturer, not as effective, as they do not allow light to enter through different angles.

While the transparent cement has thus far only been used in the showcase building, it is an exciting innovation for new construction, not only because it looks cool, but also, because buildings made with it could save on electricity that is currently required to light the inside, even during the daytime.

Resources:gizmag.com, dailymail.co.uk,news.discovery.com