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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

A patterned phase-changing vanadium dioxide film stacking with VO 2 nanoparticle matrix for high performance energy-efficient smart window applications

A vanadium dioxide (VO 2 ) based solid-to-solid phased changing material has been attracting great interest in smart window applications. However, achieving high solar modulation and high transparency simultaneously in visible light is the major challenge for the practical application of this smart material. To resolve this issue, in this paper, a smart film composed of a VO 2 nanoparticle matrix and a patterned VO 2 film is presented. Furthermore, numerical modeling and electromagnetic simulation are carried out to characterize the performance in terms of solar modulation and luminous transmittance, and a parametric study is carried out to optimize the proposed smart window film. Compared with the VO 2 nanoparticle matrix, the proposed structure can obtain 23% solar modulation and 57% luminous transmittance but with a much thinner thickness, which will significantly reduce the cost and fabrication complexity and extend the environment stability.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2026

Preparing large area of thermochromic nanocomposite films for smart window application

The challenges posed by high building energy bill necessitate proactive implementation of energy-efficient strategies to minimize the uses of both electricity and heating gas and promote the use of free solar energy sources. "Smart" window films/glass, leveraging thermochromic vanadium dioxide (VO 2 ), offer an adaptive approach to harness solar energy, significantly reducing the thermal load of buildings. This is achieved by reflecting the infrared portion of the solar spectrum through a phase transition in the monoclinic M-phase (M) of VO 2 induced by heating. In this study, a scalable continuous flow synthesis process invented by Argonne was employed to explore a wide parameter space, targeting the controlled synthesis of monoclinic VO 2 (M) nanoparticles with well-controlled sizes and morphologies. Additionally, a doping strategy and surface modifications were utilized for high-throughput tuning of the metal-to-insulator transition temperature. Strategies to enhance the solar modulation properties of VO 2 nanoparticles in polymer films were investigated through (i) morphological transformation from spherical to nanorod structures, (ii) surface modification with low refractive index ligands, and (iii) incorporation of additional thermochromic materials for improved solar energy modulation and aesthetically appealing colors in smart films. Furthermore, the study outlines scaling-up synthesis methods for VO 2 nanoparticles in a continuous flow reactor using hydrazine monohydrate. This comprehensive investigation provides valuable insights into the upscaling synthesis and design of advanced VO 2 /polymer composite smart window films with enhanced functionality, solar energy modulation and visible light transmittance, driving the technology a step close for industrial application.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Electrochromic Properties of Perovskite NdNiO 3 Thin Films for Smart Windows

Semiconductors with electrically tunable band gaps are of great interest in controlling transparency to electromagnetic radiation. Thin films of perovskite nickelate NdNiO 3 (NNO), a class of correlated oxides, were deposited on single-crystal (LaAlO 3 (LAO)) and polycrystalline (fluorine-doped tin oxide-coated glass (FTO)) substrates by magnetron sputtering, chemical solution deposition (CSD), and atomic layer deposition (ALD). Their electrochromic behaviors were investigated using a three-electrode setup in basic (KOH solution, pH = 12) electrolyte. During bleaching/coloration process, the proton intercalation/deintercalation and simultaneous electron compensation in the NNO lattice under electrical bias led to crossover of the material between the pristine-conducting phase (Ni 3+ ) and the strongly correlated insulating phase (Ni 2+ ), which serves as the working principle for electrochromic (tunable opacity in the visible range) behavior. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) scans demonstrate that NNO films are electrochemically stable in basic solutions for all three film deposition methods explored here. CV scans at varying rates enabled the extraction of diffusion coefficient of protons in thin film NNO, which is similar to 10 –7 cm 2 s –1 among all films studied. Large light transmittance modulation by bleaching and coloration was observed on films grown on both LAO and FTO substrates, suggesting its potential as an electrochromic material candidate for smart windows and optical shutter applications. Here, porous NNO films obtained by chemical solution deposition tend to demonstrate stronger electrochromic activity than dense films grown by sputtering or ALD.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Self-powered and reversible light-directed electrophoretic deposition device for use in smart windows and photodetector displays

According to one embodiment, a method includes receiving light on a photoconductive layer of an electrophoretic deposition (EPD) device, the EPD device having a chamber defined by a first sheet, a second sheet and a spacer between the first and second sheets, where the first sheet is nonopaque and includes the photoconductive layer, where the second sheet is nonopaque and spaced from the first sheet, where a fluidic solution having a plurality of particles is in the chamber. The particles in the solution are attracted from suspension to illuminated portions of the photoconductive layer in the absence of an external voltage applied to the first and second sheets. The particles become deposited on the illuminated portions of the photoconductive layer.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Materials for Energy Management across the Electromagnetic Spectrum (MEMES) (LDRD Report)

Electrification of the United States has been a major driver of economic growth, powering industrialization, modern manufacturing, and the digital economy. Today, further economic and environmental benefits can be realized by improving the energy efficiency of the technologies we have come to rely on. This project focused on enhancing the energy efficiency of two cornerstone technologies of modern society: electronic displays and building climatization. While these two technologies operate in different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum (the visible and infrared, respectively), they share a common potential technological solution: electrically-driven displays that change reflectivity. In this work, we developed the first multipixel multicolor reflective display that achieves multi-colorization with fast-changing structural color. In the course of this demonstration, we quantified the structural changes that occur across different time and length scales and resolved device sealing issues, enabling operation of these devices over months (as opposed to days previously). We furthermore developed two reflectivity changing devices in the infrared and demonstrated how these technologies can be used to reduce climatization demands for both smart window and smart wall technologies. Implementing such a device in a scaled down mock room resulted in 10 degree Celsius change.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
NASA NTRS2008

New Materials for Structural Composites and Protective Coatings

The objective of this Phase I project was to create novel conductive materials that are lightweight and strong enough for multiple ground support equipment and Exploration applications. The long-term goal is to combine these materials within specially designed devices to create composites or coatings with diagnostic capabilities, increased strength, and tunable properties such as transparency, electroluminescence, and fire resistance. One such technology application is a smart windows system. In such a system, the transmission of light through a window is controlled by electrical power. In the future, these materials may also be able to absorb sunlight and convert it into electrical energy to produce light, thereby creating a self-sufficient lighting system. This experiment, conducted in collaboration with the Georgia Institute of Technology, demonstrated enhancements in fabricating fiber materials from carbon nanotubes (CNT). These nanotubes were grown as forests in an ultra-high-purity chemical vapor deposition (CVD) furnace and then drawn, using novel processing techniques, into fibers and yarns that would be turned into filaments. This work was submitted to the Journal of Advanced Functional Materials. The CNT fibers were initially tested as filament materials at atmospheric pressure; however, even under high current loads, the filaments produced only random sparking. The CNT fibers were also converted into transparent, hydrophobic, and conductive sheets. Filament testing at low vacuum pressures is in progress, and the technology will be enhanced in 2008. As initial proof of the smart-windows application concept, the use of CNT sheets as composites/ protective coatings was demonstrated in collaboration with Nanocomp Technologies of Concord, New Hampshire.

Source record↗
DOE OSTI2026

Development of Wireless Power Technology for Use in Electrochromic Window Retrofit Applications

Electrochromic (EC) windows, often referred to as smart windows, have the ability to adjust their tint in response to electrical signals, thereby controlling the amount of sunlight and heat entering a building. This dynamic modulation can lead to significant energy savings by reducing the reliance on artificial lighting and minimizing the load on heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. However, the widespread adoption of electrochromic window technology, especially in existing buildings, faces challenges, particularly concerning the installation cost associated with the need for electrical wiring to power and control the EC glass (tinting). In this project, GuRu Wireless demonstrated that it’s mmWave-based wireless power energy transfer technology can provide the necessary power for operation of electrochromic windows, wirelessly, and address the wiring challenges of electrochromic windows in retrofit applications.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2026

Dynamic Interfacial Design in Adaptive Hybrid Materials Enables Reversible and Tunable Mechano-Optic Smart Responses

Next-generation polymeric materials are shifting toward adaptive and interactive behaviors of living systems; however, designing materials that can reversibly modulate optical properties under mechanical deformation while maintaining mechanical robustness remains a key challenge. Here, we report a mechanically robust vitrimer-based adaptive hybrid material (AHM) that exhibits a stretch-induced reversible transparency-to-opacity transition, enabled by the integration of dynamic interactions at the polymer–silica nanoparticle interface and controlled nanoparticle self-assembly. The AHM combines boronic ester–functionalized polystyrene-b-poly(ethylene-co-butylene)-b-polystyrene (S-Bpin) with diol-functionalized silica nanoparticles (diol-SiNPs) to form a hybrid network hosting both dynamic boronic ester and hydrogen-bonding interactions. These reversible linkages facilitate controlled nanoparticle self-assembly and enable strain-induced nanoparticle alignment/aggregation. Upon stretching, SiNP-rich domains align and aggregate within the polymer matrix, while local modulus mismatch between stiff aggregated SiNP/borylated-styrene-rich regions and the softer elastomeric midblock induces surface microwrinkle formation. These internal aggregates and surface wrinkles cooperatively enhance light scattering, producing the opaque state under strain. Furthermore, the tailored AHM exhibits high toughness, thermomechanical stability, reprocessability, and programmable shape-memory behavior. This work presents a dynamic interfacial design strategy for mechanically robust, optically reconfigurable, and reusable soft materials for adaptive optics, smart windows, sensing, soft robotics, and circular smart-material platforms.

adaptive hybrid materials↗
DOE OSTI2025

Exploiting Intersubband Plasmons in Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotubes for Near-Infrared Electrochromic Windows

Optically transparent materials with switchable near-infrared (NIR) transmissivity are of significant interest for energy-saving smart window technologies. To this end, we demonstrate that semitransparent films of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) incorporated into electrochemically gated devices exhibit NIR transmittance changes up to 47% and bistable optical states that are appealing for low-power, large-area operation. The tunable NIR electrochromic response is driven by a doping-induced intersubband plasmon (ISBP) absorption, an optical feature in CNTs that is selective to light polarized perpendicular to the CNT axis. Vertically aligned CNT films (as opposed to more conventional planar CNT mats) thus allow us to isolate and study the ISBP resonance changes with applied voltage, electrode material, and film thickness.

absorption↗
DOE OSTI2020

Transparent window film with embedded nano-shades for thermoregulation

Every year, more than 20% of the energy consumption in the United States and more than 10% of the global consumption is used towards HVAC (Heating, Ventilating, Air-Conditioning) systems in buildings. Although continued efforts in advancing renewable energy, efficient appliances, and smart building systems are desired, the most critical factors that cause extensive indoor energy consumption are thermal leakage and thermal waste generation. We demonstrate a smart window film that allows natural lighting with a clear view while blocking oblique incident sunlight to make the building interior cooler without using electricity or generating heat. Building upon the concept of, often overlooked, traditional window shades and privacy window films, we emphasize and elevate the application and impact of using magnetically arranged nanoscale material for energy conservation purpose in buildings. By embedding vertically aligned Ni flakes (VANF) in a polymer matrix film, nanoscale mirror array serve as shades to block the high-angled incident sunlight, blocking approximately 73% of total solar irradiance and bringing down the indoor temperature by 1.92 °C during the daytime in a model house while providing nearly 90% transparency. Global application was simulated by applying the respective solar angle and intensity at selected latitudes, indicating their potential. This passively energy-conserving smart film is a low cost, maintenance free, and simple product for users and easy-to-manufacture product for the industry.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Durability enhancement of all-solid-state electrochromic devices by adjusting the charge density ratio between electrochromic and counter electrode layers

Here, owing to an increase in global warming, smart-window devices based on charge-balanced electrochromic devices (ECDs), which exhibit high potential to increase the thermal efficiency of buildings, have gained prominence. However, studies on the fabrication and cycling stability of charge-balanced ECDs are scarce. In this study, WO 3 and NiO x films were deposited on indium-tin-oxide (ITO)-coated glass substrates by reactive direct-current magnetron sputtering, and the deposition time was varied to control the thickness and charge density of the thin films. Subsequently, the NiO x /ITO/glass and WO 3 /ITO/glass substrates were laminated with a Li-based polymeric electrolyte to fabricate all-solid-state ECDs comprising electrochromic (EC) and counter-electrode (CE) layers in charge-density ratios of 12.6, 6.4, 2.3, and 1.1. Changes in the electrochromic properties, device-layer microstructure, crystal structure, and elemental composition of the as-constructed ECDs before and after degradation were investigated to understand the influence of the charge-density ratio of the EC and CE layers on the long-term durability of ECDs. Increasing the charge-density ratio decreased the cycling stability of the device owing to changes in the microstructure and crystal structure of the NiO x layer in the microstructural deep-trap sites. Among all the ECDs, those comprising EC and CE layers with similar charge densities showed the most stable optical modulation and highest long-term durability. Finally, based on the aforementioned results, a degradation mechanism for charge-imbalanced all-solid-state ECDs was proposed. This study is expected to open new frontiers in designing optimal-performance electrochemical devices with a wide variety of potential applications.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Defect Properties, Anion Ordering, and Photochromic Mechanism in Yttrium Oxyhydride

Yttrium oxyhydride (YHO) undergoes a reversible photochromic transition when exposed to ultraviolet light. However, the mechanism for this transformation is not fully understood, and the structure and precise chemical composition of YHO remain under debate. Here, we use first-principles density functional theory calculations with a hybrid functional to study the structure, chemical stability, and point defect properties of YHO. As experiments have shown, we find that YHO prefers a cubic structure, with H and O anions present in equal concentrations and located on tetrahedral sites. Stoichiometric and ordered YHO is chemically stable, but it has a wide band gap of 5.01 eV, considerably larger than that measured in experiments (2.4–3.8 eV). On the other hand, Y4H10O has a smaller band gap of 2.97 eV and also has a region of chemical stability; thus, the actual material may include some fraction of this H-rich structure. The defect chemistry of YHO is dominated by anionic antisite species (H O and O H ), with hydrogen interstitials (H i ) and vacancies (V H ) also present in reasonably high concentrations. We show that antisite disorder lowers the band gap relative to the perfectly ordered structure, bringing the magnitude of the gap into closer agreement with experiment. Based on our calculations of defect migration and the positions of defect states relative to the band edges, we link the onset of photochromic behavior to the reaction H O – → V O 0 + H i – , which follows photoexcitation of a H O + defect. H i – can subsequently migrate away and be trapped by additional H O + defects, contributing to the persistence of the reaction, while the resultant oxygen vacancy, V O 0 , introduces an occupied defect state that leads to optical absorption at visible wavelengths. Our results can explain reported discrepancies between experimental and computational results for YHO, and they allow us to propose specific atomic-scale processes that can lead to photochromism. In conclusion, understanding these mechanisms is key for unlocking YHO’s application in devices ranging from smart windows and optoelectronics to electrochemical synapses for neural networks.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Controllable Phase Transition Properties in VO 2 Films via Metal-Ion Intercalation

VO 2 has shown great promise for sensors, smart windows, and energy storage devices, because of its drastic semiconductor-to-metal transition (SMT) near 340 K coupled with a structural transition. To push its application toward room-temperature, effective transition temperature (T c ) tuning in VO 2 is desired. Here, in this study, tailorable SMT characteristics in VO 2 films have been achieved by the electrochemical intercalation of foreign ions (e.g., Li ions). By controlling the relative potential with respect to Li/Li + during the intercalation process, T c of VO 2 can be effectively and systematically tuned in the window from 326.7 to 340.8 K. The effective T c tuning could be attributed to the observed strain and lattice distortion and the change of the charge carrier density in VO 2 introduced by the intercalation process. This demonstration opens up a new approach in tuning the VO 2 phase transition toward room-temperature device applications and enables future real-time phase change property tuning.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2023

Dual-Band Electrochromism in Hydrous Tungsten Oxide

The independent modulation of visible and near-infrared light by a single material, termed dualband electrochromism, is highly desirable for smart windows to enhance the energy efficiency of buildings. Tungsten oxides are commercially important electrochromic materials, exhibiting reversible visible and near-infrared absorption when electrochemically reduced in an electrolyte containing small cations or protons. The presence of structural water in tungsten oxides has been associated with faster electrochromic switching speeds. Here, we find that WO 3 ·H 2 O, a crystalline hydrate, exhibits dual-band electrochromism unlike the anhydrous WO 3 providing a heretofore unexplored route to tune the electrochromic response of tungsten oxides. Absorption of near-infrared light is achieved at low Li + /e - injection, followed by the absorption of visible light at higher Li + /e - injection as a result of an electrochemically-induced phase transition. We propose that this dual-band modulation is possible due to the more open structure of WO 3 ·H 2 O as compared to WO 3 . This facilitates a more extended solid solution Li + insertion regime that benefits the modulation of near-infrared radiation via plasmon absorption. Higher degrees of Li + /e - insertion lead to polaronic absorption associated with localized charge storage. Furthermore, these results inform how structural factors influence the electrochemically induced spectral response of transition metal oxides and the important role of structural water beyond optical switching speed.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2021

Flexible and high-performance electrochromic devices enabled by self-assembled 2D TiO 2 /MXene heterostructures

Transition metal oxides (TMOs) are promising electrochromic (EC) materials for applications such as smart windows and displays, yet the challenge still exists to achieve good flexibility, high coloration efficiency and fast response simultaneously. MXenes (e.g. Ti 3 C 2 T x ) and their derived TMOs (e.g. 2D TiO 2 ) are good candidates for high-performance and flexible EC devices because of their 2D nature and the possibility of assembling them into loosely networked structures. Here we demonstrate flexible, fast, and high-coloration-efficiency EC devices based on self-assembled 2D TiO 2 /Ti 3 C 2 T x heterostructures, with the Ti 3 C 2 T x layer as the transparent electrode, and the 2D TiO 2 layer as the EC layer. Benefiting from the well-balanced porosity and connectivity of these assembled nanometer-thick heterostructures, they present fast and efficient ion and electron transport, as well as superior mechanical and electrochemical stability. We further demonstrate large-area flexible devices which could potentially be integrated onto curved and flexible surfaces for future ubiquitous electronics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗