Smart Windows Prepared from Bombyx mori Silk

Abstract

We introduce a bioinspired strategy for the synthesis of green polymer electrolytes (PEs) that relies on the use of silk fibroin (SF). The two series of PEs prepared, doped with lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide or lithium tetrafluoroborate and incorporating glycerol, exhibited outstanding filmogenic properties, very high transparency, and suitable adhesion to glass substrates. Despite their poor ionic conductivity, the SF‐based films were employed in the construction of glass/ITO/WO3/PE/CeO2–TiO2/ITO/glass electrochromic devices displaying an optical modulation up to 5.5 % at λ=633 nm, a switching speed of about 15 s, stability up to 5160 cycles, and coloration efficiency up to −53.1 m2 C−1. This work, in which we provide the proof‐of‐concept, paves the way for new design approaches for silk‐based materials, which would enlarge the range of applications of SF to the energy field.

Gellan‐Gum and LiTFSI‐Based Solid Polymer Electrolytes for Electrochromic Devices

“…The rather unusual behavior observed leads us to suppose that in both samples something occurred in the 40–80 °C temperature range. Other authors [43] reported similar perturbations in the ionic conductivity behavior of the natural polymers‐based electrolytes with the increase of temperature. A competition between different factors such as the number of charge carriers, the mobility of the charge carriers, the recombination and/or aggregation of components, determines the final ionic conductivity of the electrolyte.…”

Luminescent Electrochromic Devices for Smart Windows of Energy-Efficient Buildings

“…In spite of the very high CE values produced, the ECD@LiTrif-[Er(tta) 3 (H 2 O) 2 ] device needs further improvements so that the ∆T and ∆OD values are substantially increased. At present, the addition of the same salt/complex mixture to cheap, abundant, and benign natural host polymers is being considered (e.g., proteins [39] or polysaccharides [24]) is being considered.…”

Fundamentals and Advances of Electrochromic Systems: A Review

“…[73][74][75] This is in the condition that solid or gel electrolytes were most popular in research performed on ECDs. [69,76] Solid electrolytes are often polymeric consisting of a polymer as host, a salt or ionic liquid, solvents (acid or water), and additives such as glycerol as a plasticizer. The variety of available polymers and especially natural, environmentally friendly polymers, which are usable in devices, has increased the appealing of research in the field of SPEs.…”