Energy efficiency and sustainability are critical concerns in both residential and commercial buildings. Traditional windows, while essential for natural light and ventilation, are often a significant source of energy loss. They allow heat to escape during the winter and enable excessive heat gain in the summer, leading to increased energy consumption for heating and cooling systems. This not only escalates energy costs but also contributes to a larger carbon footprint, exacerbating environmental issues.
Conventional solutions such as window films and thermal curtains provide static insulation but cannot adapt to changing environmental conditions. This lack of adaptability results in suboptimal energy management and comfort levels within buildings. Smart window technology provides an efficient solution to minimizing building energy consumption by utilizing electrochromic materials that modulate light and heat transmission. Unfortunately, current electrochromic materials are hindered by high production costs, limited durability, suboptimal color performance, and complex fabrication processes.
This technology utilizes a novel electrochromic material that consists of design based on natural host and guest interactions. Since this material is derived from biomass and reusable transparent electrodes, a low-cost and environmentally friendly smart window can be achieved. Additionally, this technology has demonstrated exceptional properties: high transmittance change (>85%), broad spectra modulation (UV, visible, and IR ranges), high durability (no attenuation under UV radiation for more than 1.5 months), low open voltage (0.9 V), excellent reusability (>1,200 cycles) of the device’s key components and reversibility (>4,000 cycles) with a large transmittance change, and pleasant multicolor. This invention presents a sustainable, scalable, and cost-effective electrochromic material for the commercial implementation of smart windows.
“Sustainable, low-cost, high-contrast electrochromic displays via host–guest interactions” (https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2401060121)