Isotope-driven hydrogel smart windows for self-adaptive thermoregulation
Abstract As a cutting-edge and environmentally friendly approach, thermochromic hydrogel smart windows show great potential in combating climate change and achieving carbon neutrality. However, the substantial absorption of near-infrared (NIR) energy by H2O poses an enormous challenge in enhancing t...
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| Format: | Article |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62432-3 |
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| author | Hongyi Tu Tong Wang Min Chen Limin Wu |
| author_facet | Hongyi Tu Tong Wang Min Chen Limin Wu |
| author_sort | Hongyi Tu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract As a cutting-edge and environmentally friendly approach, thermochromic hydrogel smart windows show great potential in combating climate change and achieving carbon neutrality. However, the substantial absorption of near-infrared (NIR) energy by H2O poses an enormous challenge in enhancing the spectral responsiveness. Herein, we propose an ingenious concept of isotope-driven D2O-hydrogel smart windows, which can effectively resolve the inherent issue of NIR energy absorption associated with H2O, without compromising versatility. It facilitates near-optimal transmittance modulation across the entire solar spectrum (ΔΓ Sol = 91.97%), demonstrating a marked enhancement in NIR modulation of transmittance (ΔΓ NIR ) and reflectance (ΔR NIR ) by ~16% and ~31%, respectively, in comparison to conventional H2O-hydrogel. Moreover, the integration of Ag-nanowires into D2O-hydrogel further substantially augments the regulation of longwave infrared emissivity ( $$\Delta {\varepsilon }_{{LWIR}}$$ Δ ε L W I R = 31.89%) while preserving a comprehensive modulation ratio (ΔΓ Sol = 66.02%, ΔR Sol = 48.41%) that is not achieved by the existing thermochromic devices. This isotope-driven D2O-hydrogel smart window provides another design strategy for future energy-efficient windows. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5c6b998f0cdf432f9ef99fea8f190c2e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-5c6b998f0cdf432f9ef99fea8f190c2e2025-08-20T04:03:07ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-07-0116111110.1038/s41467-025-62432-3Isotope-driven hydrogel smart windows for self-adaptive thermoregulationHongyi Tu0Tong Wang1Min Chen2Limin Wu3Department of Materials Science, State Key Laboratory of Coatings for Advanced Equipment, Fudan UniversitySchool of Artificial Intelligence Science and Technology, University of Shanghai for Science and TechnologyDepartment of Materials Science, State Key Laboratory of Coatings for Advanced Equipment, Fudan UniversityDepartment of Materials Science, State Key Laboratory of Coatings for Advanced Equipment, Fudan UniversityAbstract As a cutting-edge and environmentally friendly approach, thermochromic hydrogel smart windows show great potential in combating climate change and achieving carbon neutrality. However, the substantial absorption of near-infrared (NIR) energy by H2O poses an enormous challenge in enhancing the spectral responsiveness. Herein, we propose an ingenious concept of isotope-driven D2O-hydrogel smart windows, which can effectively resolve the inherent issue of NIR energy absorption associated with H2O, without compromising versatility. It facilitates near-optimal transmittance modulation across the entire solar spectrum (ΔΓ Sol = 91.97%), demonstrating a marked enhancement in NIR modulation of transmittance (ΔΓ NIR ) and reflectance (ΔR NIR ) by ~16% and ~31%, respectively, in comparison to conventional H2O-hydrogel. Moreover, the integration of Ag-nanowires into D2O-hydrogel further substantially augments the regulation of longwave infrared emissivity ( $$\Delta {\varepsilon }_{{LWIR}}$$ Δ ε L W I R = 31.89%) while preserving a comprehensive modulation ratio (ΔΓ Sol = 66.02%, ΔR Sol = 48.41%) that is not achieved by the existing thermochromic devices. This isotope-driven D2O-hydrogel smart window provides another design strategy for future energy-efficient windows.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62432-3 |
| spellingShingle | Hongyi Tu Tong Wang Min Chen Limin Wu Isotope-driven hydrogel smart windows for self-adaptive thermoregulation Nature Communications |
| title | Isotope-driven hydrogel smart windows for self-adaptive thermoregulation |
| title_full | Isotope-driven hydrogel smart windows for self-adaptive thermoregulation |
| title_fullStr | Isotope-driven hydrogel smart windows for self-adaptive thermoregulation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Isotope-driven hydrogel smart windows for self-adaptive thermoregulation |
| title_short | Isotope-driven hydrogel smart windows for self-adaptive thermoregulation |
| title_sort | isotope driven hydrogel smart windows for self adaptive thermoregulation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62432-3 |
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