Dynamic electrochromism for all-season radiative thermoregulation

Chenxi Sui, Jiankun Pu, Ting Hsuan Chen, Jiawei Liang, Yi Ting Lai, Yunfei Rao, Ronghui Wu, Yu Han, Keyu Wang, Xiuqiang Li, Venkatasubramanian Viswanathan, Po Chun Hsu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

80 Scopus citations

Abstract

Radiative thermoregulation can reduce the energy consumption for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) in buildings, and therefore contribute substantially to climate change mitigation. Electrochromism, a phenomenon in which a material exhibits reversible colour changes under an external electrical stimulus, can help control the heat balance of buildings in response to fluctuating weather conditions; however, its implementation has been largely limited to visible and near-infrared wavelength regimes. Here we develop an aqueous flexible electrochromic design for use as a building envelop based on graphene ultra-wideband transparent conductive electrode and reversible copper electrodeposition, in which the thermal emissivity can be tailored to vary between 0.07 and 0.92 with excellent long-term durability. Building energy simulations show that our design as building envelopes can save on year-round operational HVAC energy consumption across the United States by up to 43.1 MBtu on average in specific zones. Such dynamic emissivity tunability can further serve as a non-destructive technological solution to retrofit poorly insulated or historic buildings. Our work suggests a feasible pathway to radiative thermoregulation for more energy-efficient HVAC and solving some of the global climate change issues.
Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)428-437
Number of pages10
JournalNature Sustainability
Volume6
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 1 2023
Externally publishedYes

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