Durable electrochromic coatings of hydrated nickel oxide were produced by reactive rf magnetron sputtering of Ni followed by treatment in KOH. Spectrophotometry was used to assess the achievable modulation of luminous and solar transmittance and to verify that the studied material is interesting for ‘‘smart window’’ applications. 15N nuclear reaction analysis suggested that coloration occurred upon hydrogen extraction.
Very thin gold films were prepared on glass by ion plating (IP) and by conventional evaporation (CE). Below a certain thickness—∼9 nm for IP and ∼15 nm for CE—the films comprised a metal network; above this thickness we found uniform films. Optical properties were recorded by spectrophotometry. Conspicuous near-infrared transmittance plateaus were seen in network films. This effect is conducive to high solar transmission. The spectral features were explained from effective medium theories based on the film structure. The uniform films were consistent with the Drude theory, provided that an anomalously large frequency dependence of the relaxation energy was invoked. Significant induced transmission was found in calculations on dielectric/gold/dielectric coatings. Our results lead to improved noble-metal-based transparent infrared reflectors for potential use on energy efficient windows.
A quantitative theory for the optical properties of crystalline electrochromic materials is introduced. It is based on the double injection model and includes ionized impurity scattering of free electrons. Solar and luminous properties are evaluated versus electron density for doped WO3 films. Our results point to the possibility of creating efficient ‘‘smart windows’’ with dynamic control of the inflow of radiant energy.
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