Inventables Most Popular Material of 2009:
Temperature-Sensitive Glass
Winner to be showcased at the Museum of Science and Industry
Chicago — December 17, 2009 — Designers and engineers examined the product pages on Inventables.com nearly one million times in 2009 in hopes of finding the right materials or technologies for their projects. Inventables today announced that temperature-sensitive glass from Moving Color received more than 167,000 page views and has been named Inventables’ most popular material of 2009. 
“Congratulations to Moving Color for being Inventables’ most popular material of the year,” said Zach Kaplan, president and CEO of Inventables. “Our Marketplace assists product designers and developers in finding the right material or technology for their next project. We encourage other vendors to upload their products by creating free product profiles on our Web site.”
Moving Color’s textured glass tiles alter in color with changes in temperature. Offered in a range of colors and sensitivities, the tiles change color based on what they are touching — ambient temperature, body temperature or water temperature. Color change begins at a selected activation temperature and continues through three phases within a 6-10° rise in temperature. Once the tiles are above their peak temperature, the base color returns and remains unvaried until the temperature drops. The glass is available in a variety of temperature ranges, allowing customization to specific applications.
Temperature-sensitive glass is currently being used in architectural design, with usage ranging from small glass tiles to large architectural pieces. 
For example, when guests in the Mickey Mouse Penthouse at the Disneyland Hotel take a shower, the tiles bloom into color as the warm water hits the glass. As the glass tiles change color, silhouettes of Mickey Mouse appear around the perimeter of the shower. The applications for temperature-sensitive glass are extensive and many of them can be found, along with thousands of other fascinating materials and technologies, on the Inventables website.
One possible application for these tiles is being explored by global architectural firm HOK. They are working on a concept with Moving Color to use the temperature sensitive glass in roof tiles. The concept is explored here in their study into skyscraper design.
The video illustrates how thermochromatic tiles change color with the ambient temperature. In cold weather the building tiles turn black and absorb heat. In hot weather the building tiles turn white, reflecting heat and thereby cooling the building.
“With over 10 years of research and development, Moving Color is the innovator of energy-efficient, temperature-sensitive, color changing materials. Our glass is the perfect marriage between art, science, technology and design. We are very excited about the popularity of our material amongst the Inventables community,” said Ben Bellmer, founder of Moving Color.
Inventables’ Most Popular Material 2009 runners-up included:
Sound Dampening Paint
Colorful Metal Mesh
Impact Hardening Fluid