Posted on 12/22/2012 4:38:17 AM PST by NYer
For your Just Too Cool file… a reader alerted me to a post at Daniel Mitsui’s blog.
This, if true, really is just too cool:
SOLAR-POWERED NANOTECH-PURIFIED AIR in MEDIAEVAL CHURCHES
The glaziers who created gold-painted stained glass windows for mediaeval churches in Europe… developed a solar-powered nanotech air-purification system.
According to Zhu Huai Yong, an associate professor at Queensland University of Technology in Australia, the gold paint used in mediaeval-era stained glass windows purified the air when heated by sunlight.
For centuries people appreciated only the beautiful works of art, and long life of the colors, but little did they realize that these works of art are also, in modern language, photocatalytic air purifier with nanostructured gold catalyst, said Zhu in a statement. [I knew it! Well... not really.]
Zhu said that tiny gold particles found in mediaeval gold paint react with sunlight to destroy air-borne pollutants like volatile organic chemicals/compounds, which are emitted from paints, lacquers, and glues, among other things.
These VOCs create that new smell as they are slowly released from walls and furniture, but they, along with methanol and carbon monoxide, are not good for your health, even in small amounts, Zhu said. [Note to self...avoid new car smell...]
When interacting with gold particles, sunlight creates an electromagnetic field that reacts with the oscillating electrons in the gold. This field resonates and breaks apart pollutants in the air, according to Zhu. The byproduct is small amounts of carbon dioxide, which is better than carbon monoxide in terms of human health.
Zhou expects his research will help make the production of chemicals at room temperature more cost effective and environmentally friendly.
More gold-painted stained glass NOW!
It’s the green thing to do.
Ping!
Ping!
I just read this out loud to Mr. P, who says he could sit down and make all that up, and people would still be amazed.
Tomorrow's headline in the New York Times:
Now, if they could just get rid of all that offensive religious, gender-specific, and ethnically insensitive imagery, Stained glass would not only be GREEN, it would be INCLUSIVE as well. (/s!)
I think we’ll discover as time wears on that gold and silver were originally held in such high esteem for reasons far removed from making pretty baubles or a means of exchange.
It would be interesting to know the actual volume of air purified per unit time.
Why this story is BS:
Sunlight only affects the outside of the pretty stained glass. Fact is that soda lime glass (the base material in stained glass) has about a 90% absorbance of ultraviolet rays. Any air purification would be on the outside of the window.
thanks NYer. Rushing off, will read later.
Wanted to say:
A couple of we families went to Normandy for the usual tour, but having a lot of time on our hands we did an extensive tour.
St. Therese of Leseux lived like 1 miles or so away. THe Basilica, shrine, her childhood home and Carmelite convent are all there.
Anyway, we were interested in the Band of Brothers tour “we made that up”.
We had been up into Belgium an dthe Bastogne in the winter - that place has a lot of stories, includinh two Vatican approved Marian apparition sites just prior to WWII.
Anyway, back in Normandy; we went to Ste. Mere Eglese and Carentan, etc. We ewre touring a church (a forgotten one, apparently, though once the town center) and I looke up at the stained glass windows.
Paratroopers dropping into town.
The originals had been blown out and thes is what the townspeople replaced them with.
I remember that and a little of my high school french whenever I go to France, and I am fine, well except for that pesky gang of yutes.
I hope money wasn’t paid for this research.
|
|
|
| GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach | |
|
|
Thanks NYer. Since they didn't have any idea about electricity or microbes, this (if verified, and it probably won't be checked for years or decades) is just a mighty nice coincidence, and nothing more. |
|
|
|
|
Oy, I really can write:
Thanks NYer. Rushing off, will read later.
Wanted to say:
A couple of us families went to Normandy for the usual tour, but having a lot of time on our hands we did an extended tour.
St. Therese of Lesieux lived like 15 miles or so away. The Basilica, shrine, her childhood home and Carmelite convent are all there.
Anyway, we were interested in the Band of Brothers tour(we made that up), and it happened to be Memorial Day weekend, near June 6th and the weather was therefore comparable, more or less.
We had been up into Belgium and into Bastogne in the winter - that place has a lot of stories, including two Vatican approved Marian apparition sites just prior to WWII, in Banneaux and Beauraing. The locals are just about unaware.
Anyway, back in Normandy; we went to Ste. Mere Eglese and Carentan, etc. We were touring inside of a church (a forgotten one, apparently, though once the town center) and I looked up at the stained glass windows.
Paratroopers dropping into town.
The originals had been blown out and this is what the townspeople had replaced them with.
Outstanding!
I remember that and a little of my high school french whenever I go to France, and I am fine, well . . . except for those pesky gangs of yutes.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.