A polymer-stabilized liquid crystal (PSLC)-based environment-adaptative smart window with multi-modulations is demonstrated. This PSLC system contains a right-handed dithienyldicyanoethene-based chiral photoswitch and a chiral dopant, S811, with opposite handedness, of which the reversible cis-trans photoisomerization of the switch can drive self-shading of the smart window under UV light stimulus because of the transition from nematic phase to cholesteric one. With the assistance of solar heat, the opacity of the smart window can be deepened because the heat promotes the isomerization conversion rate of the switch. This switch has no thermal relaxation at room temperature, therefore, the smart window exhibits dual stabilization: transparent state (cis-isomer) and opaque state (trans-isomer). Moreover, the incident intensity of sunlight can be regulated by an electric field, which allows the smart window to adapt to some specific situations. Such an energy-saving device can be used in buildings and vehicles to control indoor temperature and adapt to the required ambiance.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/chem.202300993 | DOI Listing |
J Phys Chem Lett
January 2025
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States.
Vanadium oxide (VO) is an exotic phase-change material with diverse applications ranging from thermochromic smart windows to thermal sensors, neuromorphic computing, and tunable metasurfaces. Nonetheless, the mechanism responsible for its metal-insulator phase transition remains a subject of vigorous debate. Here, we investigate the ultrafast dynamics of the photoinduced phase transition in VO under low perturbation conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicromachines (Basel)
January 2025
Nanoscale Glasstec GmbH (NaGt), 34132 Kassel, Germany.
This paper reviews and compares electrostatically actuated MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical system) arrays for light modulation and light steering in which transmission through the substrate is required. A comprehensive comparison of the technical achievements of micromirror arrays and microshutter arrays is provided. The main focus of this paper is MEMS micromirror arrays for smart glass in building windows and façades.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicromachines (Basel)
December 2024
Institute of Nanostructure Technologies and Analytics (INA), Technological Electronics Department and Center for Interdisciplinary Nanostructure Science and Technology (CINSaT), University of Kassel, Heinrich-Plett-Straße 40, 34132 Kassel, Germany.
Millions of electrostatically actuatable micromirror arrays have been arranged in between windowpanes in inert gas environments, enabling active daylighting in buildings for illumination and climatization. MEMS smart windows can reduce energy consumption significantly. However, to allow personalized light steering for arbitrary user positions with high flexibility, two main limitations must be overcome: first, limited tuning angle spans by MEMS pull-in effects; and second, the lack of a second orthogonal tuning angle, which is highly required.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAmbio
January 2025
ECOAN, Pasaje Navidad U-10, Urb. Ttio, Wanchaq, Cusco, Peru.
The Inca and their immediate predecessors provide an exceptional model of how to create high-altitude functional environments that sustainably feed people with a diversity of crops, whilst mitigating erosion, protecting forestry and maintaining soil fertility without the need for large-scale burning. A comparison is provided here of landscape practices and impacts prior to and after the Inca, derived from a unique 4200-year sedimentary record recovered from Laguna Marcacocha, a small, environmentally sensitive lake located at the heart of the Inca Empire. By examining ten selected proxies of environmental change, a rare window is opened on the past, helping to reveal how resilient watershed management and sustainable, climate-smart agriculture were achieved.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCarbohydr Polym
March 2025
State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China. Electronic address:
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