Electrochromic
devices are a key technology to modulate optical
and thermal energy for zero-energy buildings. With the sun as the
heat source and deep space as the cold source, it would be beneficial
to accomplish wideband regulation and control both solar and radiative
heat simultaneously to obtain large heating and cooling performance.
Here, a flexible ultra-wideband transparent conducting electrode (UWB-TCE)
with low sheet resistance (R
s = 22.4 ohm/sq)
and high optical transmittance (T
UV–vis = 85.63%, T
near‑IR = 87.85%,
and T
mid‑IR = 84.87%) has been
demonstrated to realize an electrochromic device that is capable of
synergistic solar and radiative heat management. Enabled by the UWB-TCE,
the metal-based electrochromic device can vary its emissivity between
0.12 and 0.94. The device can also switch between solar heating mode
(high solar absorptivity and low thermal emissivity) and radiative
cooling mode (low solar absorptivity and high thermal emissivity)
by controlling the optimal electrodeposition morphology for surface
plasmon resonance. The optimal solar absorptivity (α) and thermal
emissivity (ε) of solar heating and radiative cooling mode are
(α, ε) = (0.60, 0.20) and (0.33, 0.94), respectively.
The UWB-TCE and dual-band solar and mid-IR electrochromic device can
bring vast opportunities for applications in heat management, camouflage,
display, and building energy efficiency.
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