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A Facile yet Versatile Strategy to Construct Liquid Hybrid Energy-Saving Windows for Strong Solar Modulation
Jichang Li1, Pengyu Gu1, Hongyu Pan1
1School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Henan, 450001, P. R. China.
Advanced Science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)
|January 20, 2023
Summary
Researchers developed novel thermochromic hydrogel smart windows using copolymerization for enhanced energy conservation. These smart windows offer rapid response and efficient solar modulation, significantly reducing indoor temperatures.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Energy Conservation
- Smart Materials
Background:
- Smart windows are crucial for building energy conservation, offering light management and solar heating modulation.
- Thermochromic poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm) hydrogel smart windows provide passive sunlight regulation but suffer from slow response and low efficiency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop advanced chain/microparticle hybrids (CMH) for liquid energy-saving windows with improved performance.
- To enhance the response rate and solar modulation efficiency of thermochromic smart windows.
Main Methods:
- One-step copolymerization of NIPAm and olefine acids (OA) via reverse atom transfer radical polymerization to create CMH.
- Fabrication of liquid energy-saving windows by injecting CMH suspension into sandwich glass.
Main Results:
- The developed poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) (P(NIPAm-co-AA))-based CMH windows demonstrated a near-room-temperature transition (26.7 °C) and rapid response (5 s).
- Achieved high luminous transmittance (91.5%) and solar modulation efficiency (85.8%), leading to a simulated indoor temperature decrease of 24.5 °C.
- Demonstrated tunable light-scattering and adaptive solar modulation through synergetic mechanisms.
Conclusions:
- The novel CMH strategy offers a versatile approach for creating energy-efficient windows with excellent light management.
- This advancement has the potential to significantly promote the development and renovation of energy-efficient building technologies.
Keywords:
energy-savingliquid smart windowssolar modulationsynergetic mechanismstunable transition temperatureMore Related Videos
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