Dynamic Optics with Transparency and Color Changes under Ambient Conditions

Jiang, Yejia; Zeng, Songshan; Yao, Yu; Xu, Shiyu; Dong, Qiaonan; Chen, Pingxu; Wang, Zhaofeng; Zhang, Monica; Zhu, Mengting; Xu, Gefan; Zeng, Huidan; Sun, Luyi

doi:10.3390/polym11010103

Cited by 24 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Based on the same concept, Jiang et al [209] later have created colored silica/PDMS composites by casting the mixture of rhodamine B (RhB) and PDMS atop the silica NP layer. When stretched, the film become translucent at 20% strain, which is caused by the scattering from SiO 2 NPvoid and void-PDMS interfaces.…”

Section: Particle-embedded Pdms Compositesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Responsive Smart Windows from Nanoparticle–Polymer Composites

Kim

Yang

2019

Adv Funct Materials

130

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Windows play significant roles in commercial and residential buildings and automobiles, which direct and control light illumination, thermal insulation, natural ventilation, and aesthetics. Various approaches are attempted to make windows “smart” by tailoring their transparency and thermal insulation in response to environmental changes. Hence, there has been much effort to develop smart windows that can dynamically modulate the transmission and reflectance of the visible light and solar radiance into buildings according to weather conditions or personal preferences. Development of smart window materials is also beneficial to applications including wearable sensors, energy harvesting and storage, and medical devices. By carefully matching the refractive indices of nanoparticle (NPs) and polymer matrix, surface chemistry, and their mechanical properties, particle‐embedded polymer composites can exhibit synergistic effects with improved chemical and mechanical stability, enhanced dispersion of NPs, and optimized and stimuli‐responsive optical properties. Here, an overview of recent progresses in the development of smart windows based on electro‐, thermo‐, and mechanoactuations is provided. Additional functionalities, e.g., flexibility, stretchability, and mechanical/chemical stability, can also be achieved by careful choices of NPs and polymers.

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Section: Particle-embedded Pdms Compositesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Responsive Smart Windows from Nanoparticle–Polymer Composites

Kim

Yang

2019

Adv Funct Materials

130

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“…[21] Interestingly, this optical phenomenon can be dramatically enhanced by the synergetic interactions of scattered and diffuse light at various angles in the case of a complicated 3D scattering phase with multiple boundaries (Figure 1a[iv]). [2,17,18] Thus, it is obvious that simultaneous manipulation of such 3D indexmismatched boundaries offers an important means of adjusting the light transmission through the medium and therefore can be a powerful strategy for realizing high-contrast optical modulation.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

High‐Contrast Optical Modulation from Strain‐Induced Nanogaps at 3D Heterogeneous Interfaces

et al. 2020

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The realization of high‐contrast modulation in optically transparent media is of great significance for emerging mechano‐responsive smart windows. However, no study has provided fundamental strategies for maximizing light scattering during mechanical deformations. Here, a new type of 3D nanocomposite film consisting of an ultrathin (≈60 nm) Al2O3 nanoshell inserted between the elastomers in a periodic 3D nanonetwork is proposed. Regardless of the stretching direction, numerous light‐scattering nanogaps (corresponding to the porosity of up to ≈37.4 vol%) form at the interfaces of Al2O3 and the elastomers under stretching. This results in the gradual modulation of transmission from ≈90% to 16% at visible wavelengths and does not degrade with repeated stretching/releasing over more than 10 000 cycles. The underlying physics is precisely predicted by finite element analysis of the unit cells. As a proof of concept, a mobile‐app‐enabled smart window device for Internet of Things applications is realized using the proposed 3D nanocomposite with successful expansion to the 3 × 3 in. scale.

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“…Concerning the different working principles, they are based on bioluminescence or periodic spatial structures (photonic crystals). In the first group of sensors, the colors are caused by specific absorption of light by metallic nanoparticles (NPs) or molecules embedded in the matrix, as demonstrated by Jiang et al [94] and Duarte et al [95], respectively. When based on bioluminescence phenomenon, the sensing signal is produced as a consequence of chemical reactions in the photophores of some organism [96].…”

Section: Mechanochromic Sensors Based On Photonic Crystalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Photonic Crystal Stimuli-Responsive Chromatic Sensors: A Short Review

et al. 2020

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Photonic crystals (PhC) are spatially ordered structures with lattice parameters comparable to the wavelength of propagating light. Their geometrical and refractive index features lead to an energy band structure for photons, which may allow or forbid the propagation of electromagnetic waves in a limited frequency range. These unique properties have attracted much attention for both theoretical and applied research. Devices such as high-reflection omnidirectional mirrors, low-loss waveguides, and high- and low-reflection coatings have been demonstrated, and several application areas have been explored, from optical communications and color displays to energy harvest and sensors. In this latter area, photonic crystal fibers (PCF) have proven to be very suitable for the development of highly performing sensors, but one-dimensional (1D), two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) PhCs have been successfully employed, too. The working principle of most PhC sensors is based on the fact that any physical phenomenon which affects the periodicity and the refractive index of the PhC structure induces changes in the intensity and spectral characteristics of the reflected, transmitted or diffracted light; thus, optical measurements allow one to sense, for instance, temperature, pressure, strain, chemical parameters, like pH and ionic strength, and the presence of chemical or biological elements. In the present article, after a brief general introduction, we present a review of the state of the art of PhC sensors, with particular reference to our own results in the field of mechanochromic sensors. We believe that PhC sensors based on changes of structural color and mechanochromic effect are able to provide a promising, technologically simple, low-cost platform for further developing devices and functionalities.

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Dynamic Optics with Transparency and Color Changes under Ambient Conditions

Cited by 24 publications

References 33 publications

Responsive Smart Windows from Nanoparticle–Polymer Composites

Responsive Smart Windows from Nanoparticle–Polymer Composites

High‐Contrast Optical Modulation from Strain‐Induced Nanogaps at 3D Heterogeneous Interfaces

Photonic Crystal Stimuli-Responsive Chromatic Sensors: A Short Review

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