Hu Yong, Huang Qiaoyu, Chen Hong, Liang Mengqi, Chen Jiayi, Wang Xilin, Chen Zhaoxia, Jiang Xueliang, Zhang Yuhong
Ministry-of Education Key Laboratory for the Synthesis and Application of Organic Functional Molecules, Hubei Key Laboratory for Precision Synthesis of Small Molecule Pharmaceuticals, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China.
Hubei Key Laboratory of Plasma Chemistry and Advanced Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430205, China.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2025 Aug 6;17(31):44975-44988. doi: 10.1021/acsami.5c11165. Epub 2025 Jul 26.
Thermochromic smart windows have been extensively investigated for solar regulation and building energy management to reduce building energy consumption. However, most current smart windows respond to only a single fixed temperature, failing to meet both energy-saving and privacy needs. To overcome this limitation, a series of composite hydrogels (KNSG) with bidirectional temperature-responsive properties were developed by introducing sodium dodecyl sulfate/sodium chloride (SDS/NaCl) micelles and κ-carrageenan (KCA) into a poly(-isopropylacrylamide/glycerol (PNIPAM/Gl) matrix. These hydrogels were encapsulated between two glass panes to construct climatic-adaptable smart windows. Through synergistic optimization of SDS, NaCl, and Gl, both the upper critical solution temperature (UCST, 0.8-17.4 °C) and the lower critical solution temperature (LCST, 19.5-50.4 °C) of the material could be flexibly and broadly adjusted to match the human thermal comfort zone and various climates. The smart window achieved excellent solar modulation (Δ, UCST = 76.17%, Δ, LCST = 76.29%) coupled with high transparency (94.90%), effectively balancing solar modulation with natural light illumination within a comfortable temperature range. Furthermore, KNSG displayed remarkable stability and antifreezing (-28 °C), ensuring long-term usability. These dual-responsive smart windows exhibit promising practical applications in future fields for building energy efficiency, information encryption, temperature monitoring, and so forth.
热致变色智能窗已被广泛研究用于太阳能调节和建筑能源管理，以降低建筑能耗。然而，目前大多数智能窗仅对单一固定温度做出响应，无法满足节能和隐私需求。为克服这一局限性，通过将十二烷基硫酸钠/氯化钠（SDS/NaCl）胶束和κ-卡拉胶（KCA）引入聚（-异丙基丙烯酰胺/甘油（PNIPAM/Gl）基质中，制备了一系列具有双向温度响应特性的复合水凝胶（KNSG）。这些水凝胶被封装在两块玻璃板之间，以构建气候适应性智能窗。通过对SDS、NaCl和Gl的协同优化，材料的上临界溶液温度（UCST，0.8-17.4°C）和下临界溶液温度（LCST，19.5-50.4°C）均可灵活且广泛地调节，以匹配人体热舒适区和各种气候。该智能窗实现了出色的太阳能调制（Δ，UCST = 76.17%，Δ，LCST = 76.29%）以及高透明度（94.90%），在舒适温度范围内有效地平衡了太阳能调制与自然光照。此外，KNSG表现出显著的稳定性和抗冻性（-28°C），确保了长期可用性。这些双响应智能窗在未来建筑节能、信息加密、温度监测等领域展现出广阔的实际应用前景。
