(Yicai Global) Feb. 14 -- Chinese scientists have developed a low-cost electric screen for windows that can trap pollutants to improve the quality of air in homes.

A team led by Prof. Yu Shuong from the University of Science and Technology of China created the nylon gauze screen, which can also control the intensity of light that passes through, according to American journal iScience.

The screen can filter out 99.65 percent of pollutants, allowing it to lower the average PM2.5 concentration to 32.9 micrograms from 248 micrograms in about 50 seconds -- or to 'good' air quality from 'severely polluted,' said Liu Jianwei, an associate professor at the school. PM2.5 is particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers.

China is notorious for its air pollution but has been stepping up its efforts to shake the hazy reputation in recent years. The World Health Organization ranks capital Beijing as the world's 56th most polluted cities, per data collected between 2008 and 2015. That might look bad, but is a large step up from 2013, when it ranked among the top 10 -- according to data from Tsinghua University and the Asian Development Bank.

Helping limit the impact of the smog could come cheap. Producing 7.5 square meters of the new screen costs just CNY100 (USD15) and takes about 20 minutes, iScience's article added.

It can also be easily cleaned by immersion in alcohol, and will work effectively even after 100 cycles of haze filtration and cleaning, Liu said, adding that amending the voltage running through the screen can increase or decrease the amount of light that travels through, which can help with energy saving.

Editor: James Boynton