Enhanced Electro‐Optical and Heat Regulation of Intelligent Dimming Films Using the Photovoltaic Effect of p–n Heterostructures

Abstract

In this paper, the effect of p–n heterostructures on the electro‐optical and heat regulation performances of polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) dimming films are studied. In detail, the WO3, Ag2O, and WO3/Ag2O p–n heterostructures are successfully synthesized via the co‐precipitation method. The products are analyzed by XRD, SEM, TEM, and XPS and the results demonstrated that the WO3 nanorods successfully grew on the surface of Ag2O. Compared to the primitive sample, the incorporation of p–n heterostructures into the composite films significantly enhances the electro‐optical properties. For a 20µm‐thick film, the saturation voltage (Vsat) decreases by 38.7% from 24.8 to 15.2 V, and the threshold voltage (Vth) is reduced by 22.9% from 12.7 to 9.8 V, while the contrast ratio reaches 132. Due to the molecular structure of the polymer monomers and the micro‐network structure of the film, the film exhibits high emissivity in the mid infrared spectrum, enabling enhanced dynamic cooling management through radiative cooling around the clock. Matrix & laboratory (MATLAB) calculations show that the maximum cooling power during the day and night reached 97.63 and 136.24W m‐2 K‐1, respectively. This research has great significance for the development of highly energy‐efficient smart windows.