A thermochromic thin film based on host-guest interactions in a layered double hydroxide

Optically transparent thin films with thermochromic properties have been fabricated by means of cointercalation of different molar ratios of 4-(4-anilinophenylazo)benzenesulfonate (AO5) and sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDS) into the galleries of a ZnAl layered double hydroxide (LDH). The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of these thin films show that they are assembled in a highly c-oriented manner, and the basal spacing ranges from 2.95 to 2.63 nm with varying AO5/SDS molar ratio. The preferential orientation of AO5 in the galleries of 10% AO5-LDH (AO5/SDS = 10:90, molar percentage) was evaluated by the fluorescence polarization technique; the results show that AO5 anions are accommodated between sheets of ZnAl-LDH as monomeric units with a tilt angle Psi (defined as the angle between the transition dipole moment of the AO5 anion with respect to the normal to the LDH layer) of 74 degrees. It was found that the composite film exhibits marked thermochromic behavior (light yellow <==> reddish-orange) in the temperature range of 35-65 degrees C, which is reversible over a number of heating-cooling cycles. It has been demonstrated that the thermochromic behavior results from tautomerism of interlayer AO5 and furthermore that both the host-guest and guest-guest interactions are key factors, since pristine AO5 shows no thermochromic performance. The 10% AO5-LDH film shows the highest thermochromic efficiency of all the films examined. Furthermore, a reversible contraction and expansion of the LDH basal spacing was also observed for this thin film over the same temperature range.