iScience (Apr 2024)

The frontier of tungsten oxide nanostructures in electronic applications

  • Siqi Zhou,
  • Zanhe Yang,
  • Xiangyu Feng,
  • Jiaxin Zuo,
  • Nannan Wang,
  • Kunyapat Thummavichai,
  • Yanqiu Zhu

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 27, no. 4
p. 109535

Abstract

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Summary: Electrochromic (EC) glazing has garnered significant attention recently as a crucial solution for enhancing energy efficiency in future construction and automotive sectors. EC glazing could significantly reduce the energy usage of buildings compared to traditional blinds and glazing. Despite their commercial availability, several challenges remain, including issues with switching time, leakage of electrolytes, production costs, etc. Consequently, these areas demand more attention and further studies. Among inorganic-based EC materials, tungsten oxide nanostructures are essential due to its outstanding advantages such as low voltage demand, high coloration coefficient, large optical modulation range, and stability. This review will summarize the principal design and mechanism of EC device fabrication. It will highlight the current gaps in understanding the mechanism of EC theory, discuss the progress in material development for EC glazing, including various solutions for improving EC materials, and finally, introduce the latest advancements in photo-EC devices that integrate photovoltaic and EC technologies.

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