Dynamic Windows Based on Reversible Metal Electrodeposition with Enhanced Functionality

Abstract

Electronically tintable windows increase the energy efficiency and comfort of buildings and automobiles. Recently, dynamic windows harnessing reversible metal electrodeposition have been explored as a viable alternative to electrochromic materials. In this manuscript, we first construct 25 cm 2 dynamic windows with two tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) working electrodes, a metal frame counter electrode, and an aqueous-based electrolyte containing metal ions. This arrangement allows metal electrodeposition to occur simultaneously on both window panes and increases switching speed such that devices switch to ∼30% transmission in 10 s compared to analogous windows with one working electrode which take 30 s to reach the same transmission value. Windows with two working electrodes switch between clear (∼82% transmission at 600 nm) and black (∼8% transmission at 600 nm) states within 30 s, making them among the fastest metal-based dynamic windows reported on this scale. Second, we elicit selective metal electrodeposition on Pt nanoparticles that are attached to ITO substrates via a self-assembled monolayer (SAM). By patterning the SAM of Pt nanoparticles, metal electrodeposition can be spatially controlled on both the macroscale and microscale. Taken together, these results demonstrate the versatility of the reversible metal electrodeposition architecture for dynamic windows.

Reversible Metal Electrodeposition Devices: An Emerging Approach to Effective Light Modulation and Thermal Management

“…Therefore, a small amount of HCl is always added to the electrolyte to prevent precipitation. However, the presence of H + can cause hydrogen evolution when the applied voltage is higher than 0.7 V. [25,27] The gathering of bubbles on the surface of the working electrode inhibits metal deposition at the corresponding area.…”

“…The best performance reported for RMEDs are listed in Table 1.In the last century and the first decade of the 21th century, sustained efforts have been invested to apply the reversible electrodeposition mechanism to display devices. [19][20][21][22][23][24] In recent years, research on RMEDs has been progressing owing to their potential applications in energy-saving fields, especially in light modulation [8,[25][26][27][28] and thermal management. [18,29,30] Ag, Bi, and Cu are the most widely studied metals for reversible electrodeposition because of their high reversibility and the use of hazard-free electrolytes.…”

Hybrid Dynamic Windows with Color Neutrality and Fast Switching Using Reversible Metal Electrodeposition and Cobalt Hexacyanoferrate Electrochromism

“…By comparison, the active components of RME devices can be fabricated using simple solution-based methods. 18,19 Although RME devices have numerous advantages for dynamic window applications, one of the main challenges hindering the development of RME devices is eliciting uniform metal electrodeposition on a large scale with a fast switching speed. In our previous work, we demonstrated that metal electrodeposition uniformity increases by seeding metal growth with a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of inert Pt nanoparticles on an indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate.…”

Bistable Silver Electrodeposition‐Based Electrochromic Device with Reversible Three‐State Optical Transformation By Using WO3 Nanoislands Modified ITO Electrode

“…The second exploits reversible electrodeposition by depositing and dissolving metal (Ag, Bi, Cu, Ni, Pb, and others) onto a transparent conducting substrate to modulate its optical properties. [1,2,[32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51] For the electrodeposition-based EC systems, the device structures mainly consist of two opposite transparent electrodes with an electrolyte in-between. The metal dissolved in the electrolyte will be deposited on the electrode surface when voltage is applied to the electrodes.…”