Nano-composite thermochromic thin films and their application in Energy-efficient glazing

Saeli, M; Piccirillo, C; Parkin, I; Ridley, I; Binions, R

doi:10.1016/j.solmat.2009.08.010

A hybridatmosphericpressureandaerosol-assistedchemicalvapourdepositionstrategyispresentedas a facileroutefortheproductionofvanadiumdioxidenano-compositethinfilms.Theeffectofthe inclusionofgoldnanoparticlesandtheuseofasurfactantmolecule,tetraoctylammoniumbromide,is discussed.Thefilmswerefullycharacterisedusingawidevarietyoftechniques,includingscanning electronmicroscopy,X-raydiffraction,X-rayphotoelectronspectroscopyandUV/vis/NIRspectroscopy. It isshownthatmicro-structuralchangesbroughtaboutbycarefulcontroloffilmgrowthconditions, and/ortheuseofsurfactant,leadtoanenhancementofthermochromicproperties.Goldnanoparticle incorporationleadstoasignificantchangeinthecolourofthefilmsfromayellow-browncolourtoa varietyofgreensandbluesdependingonthegoldnanoparticleconcentration.Thefilmsbecomemore reflectiveintheinfra-redwithincreasedgoldnanoparticleincorporation.Opticaldataareusedin energy modellingstudiestoelucidatethefilmpotentialasanenergy-savingcoatinginarchitectural glazing.Theenergymodellingresultssuggestthatforwarmerclimatesthethermochromicnano- compositesinvestigatedhereleadtosignificantenergysavingswhencomparedwithplainglassand other standardindustryproducts.

Saeli, M., Piccirillo, C., Parkin, I.P., Ridley, I., Binions, R. (2009). Nano-composite thermochromic thin films and their application in Energy-efficient glazing. SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS, 94, 141-151 [10.1016/j.solmat.2009.08.010].