Controlling solar
transmission through windows promises to reduce building energy consumption.
A new smart window for adaptive solar modulation is presented in this
work proposing the combination of the photothermal one-dimensional
(1D) Au nanochains and thermochromic hydrogel. In this adaptive solar
modulation system, the Au nanochains act as photoresponsive nanoheaters
to stimulate the optical switching of the thermochromic hydrogel.
By carefully adjusting the electrostatic interactions between nanoparticles,
different chain morphologies and plateau-like broad-band absorption
in the NIR region are achieved. Such broad-band-absorbed 1D nanochains
possess excellent thermoplasmonic effect and enable the solar modulation
with compelling features of improved NIR light shielding, high initial
visible transmittance, and fast response speed. The designed smart
window based on 1D Au nanochains is capable of shielding 94.1% of
the solar irradiation from 300 to 2500 nm and permitting 71.2% of
visible light before the optical switching for indoor visual comfort.
In addition, outdoor cooling tests in model house under continuous
natural solar irradiation reveal the remarkable passive cooling performance
up to ∼7.8 °C for the smart window based on 1D Au nanochains,
showing its potential in the practical application of building energy
saving.
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