The impact of bead milling on the thermodynamics and kinetics of the structural phase transition of VO2 particulate materials and their potential for use in thermochromic glazing

The thermodynamics and kinetics of the structural phase transition from monoclinic VO2 (M) to rutile VO2 (R) and vice versa were studied for particulate materials obtained by bead milling of VO2 (M) powder. Using wet bead milling, we decreased the particle size of VO2 (M) powder from ∼1 μm to 129 nm. With progressive milling, the switching...

Phase separation of VO2 and SiO2 on SiO2-Coated float glass yields robust thermochromic coating with unrivalled optical properties

Vanadium dioxide displays thermochromic properties based on its structural phase transition from monoclinic VO2 (M) to rutile VO2 (R) and vice versa, and the accompanying reversible metal-insulator transition. We developed a single layer coating comprising VO2 (M) and SiO2. We applied the coating from an alcoholic solution comprising vanadium(IV...

A comparative study on the switching kinetics of W/VO2 powders and VO2 coatings and their implications for thermochromic glazing

Building energy simulations for different building types equipped with a high performance thermochromic smart window

With constantly progressing climate change and global warming, we face the challenge to reduce our energy consumption and CO2 emission. To increase the energy-efficiency in buildings, we developed a thermochromic coating for smart windows which is optimized for intermediate climates. Here we present a building energy simulation study for the use...

Structural color coatings for high performance BIPV

Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) offer aesthetics and freedom of design for architects and home owners. This can accelerate implementation and free up new spaces for solar energy harvesting at building level, which is a necessary step towards a climate neutral built environment. Colored solar panels with high conversion efficiency and...

Collective photothermal effect of Al2O3-supported spheroidal plasmonic Ru nanoparticle catalysts in the sunlight-powered Sabatier reaction

Comparative Building Energy Simulation Study of Static and Thermochromically Adaptive Energy-Efficient Glazing in Various Climate Regions

The building sector contributes approximately one third of the total energy consumption worldwide. A large part of this energy is used for the heating and cooling of buildings, which can be drastically reduced by use of energy-efficient glazing. In this study, we performed building energy simulations on a prototypical residential building, and...

Improving the scratch resistance of sol-gel metal oxide coatings cured at 250 C through use of thermogenerated amines

Scratch resistant sol-gel metal oxide coatings typically require a thermal post-treatment step (curing process) at temperatures between 400 and 700 C. In this report, we demonstrate that the in situ generation of amines within sol-gel films facilitates the preparation of scratch resistant metal oxide coatings at a curing temperature of 250 C. A...