Wu Wanlin, Lu Canhui, Cölfen Helmut, Xiong Rui
National Key Laboratory of Advanced Polymer Materials Polymer Research Institute of Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China.
Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, Konstanz, Germany.
Mater Horiz. 2025 Jul 11. doi: 10.1039/d5mh00305a.
Thermochromic smart windows have been widely investigated for regulating building energy exchange. However, most reported smart windows suffer from challenges such as low transparency, poor solar modulation ability, a narrow adjustable range of phase change temperature and poor long-term stability, which greatly limit their energy-saving performance. Herein, we report a scalable and recyclable thermochromic organic-inorganic hydrogel through multi-scale structural engineering that involves self-densification at the microscale, thermal-responsive clusters at the nanoscale and amorphous minerals at the molecular scale. The thermochromic hydrogel can rapidly switch between transparent and opaque states through the reversible phase separation of organic-inorganic nanoclusters. The resulting organic-inorganic hydrogel exhibits the highest combination of transparency (99%) and solar modulation capability (86.1%) among reported thermochromic materials, coupled with a broadly tunable transition temperature, long-term stability and recyclability. Additionally, the favorable energy absorption and adhesion properties of the organic-inorganic hydrogel layer endow the assembled smart windows with significantly enhanced impact resistance. The low-cost, easily fabricated, and mass-producible organic-inorganic hydrogel, combining superior thermal regulation, impact resistance and recyclability, offers a sustainable and innovative solution for thermochromic smart windows.
热致变色智能窗已被广泛研究用于调节建筑能量交换。然而，大多数报道的智能窗面临诸如透明度低、太阳调制能力差、相变温度可调范围窄以及长期稳定性差等挑战，这极大地限制了它们的节能性能。在此，我们通过多尺度结构工程报道了一种可扩展且可回收的热致变色有机-无机水凝胶，该工程涉及微观尺度的自致密化、纳米尺度的热响应簇和分子尺度的无定形矿物。热致变色水凝胶可通过有机-无机纳米簇的可逆相分离在透明和不透明状态之间快速切换。所得的有机-无机水凝胶在已报道的热致变色材料中展现出透明度（99%）和太阳调制能力（86.1%）的最高组合，同时具有宽泛可调的转变温度、长期稳定性和可回收性。此外，有机-无机水凝胶层良好的能量吸收和粘附性能赋予组装的智能窗显著增强的抗冲击性。这种低成本、易于制备且可大规模生产的有机-无机水凝胶，兼具卓越的热调节、抗冲击性和可回收性，为热致变色智能窗提供了一种可持续且创新的解决方案。
