Multifunctional smart windows are successfully fabricated by assembling inkjet printed CeO 2 /TiO 2 and WO 3 /poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)poly(styrene sulfonate) films as the anode and cathode, respectively. Large optical modulation (more than 70% at 633 nm), fast switching (12.7/15.8 s), high coloration efficiency (108.9 cm 2 C −1 ), and excellent bistability are achieved by the assembled smart windows. The multifunctional smart window not only can be used as typical electrochromic window, which can change its color to dynamically control the solar radiation transmittance through windows or protect privacy during the day, but also can be used as energy-storage device simultaneously. The designed smart window releases the stored energy to light the bulbs and power other electronic devices at night while its color gradually reverts to transparent state. Moreover, the level of stored energy can be monitored via the visually detectable reversible color variation of the window. The fascinating multifunctional smart windows exhibit promising features for a wide range of applications in buildings, airplanes, automobiles, etc.
Among the Mo-and W-based two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides, MoTe 2 is particularly interesting for phase-engineering applications, because it has the smallest free energy difference between the semiconducting 2H phase and metallic 1T′ phase. In this work, we reveal that, under the proper circumstance, Mo and Te atoms can rearrange themselves to transform from a polycrystalline 1T′ phase into a single-crystalline 2H phase in a large scale. We manifest the mechanisms of the solid-to-solid transformation by conducting density functional theory calculations, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The phase transformation is well described by the time−temperature−transformation diagram. By optimizing the kinetic rates of nucleation and crystal growth, we have synthesized a single-crystalline 2H-MoTe 2 domain with a diameter of 2.34 mm, a centimeter-scale 2H-MoTe 2 thin film with a domain size up to several hundred micrometers, and a seamless 1T′−2H MoTe 2 coplanar homojunction. The 1T′−2H MoTe 2 homojunction provides an elegant solution for ohmic contact of 2D semiconductors. The controlled solid-to-solid phase transformation in 2D limit provides a new route to realize wafer-scale single-crystalline 2D semiconductor and coplanar heterostructure for 2D circuitry.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.