"Smart" windows are a perfect innovative example of technology that reduces our energy dependence and our impact on the environment while saving on the economical point of view. In the range of possibilities that the fenestration of the future may reserve, there exist thermochromic windows. With the use of vanadium dioxide (VO2), a thermochromic compound, and this, as a thin coating, it would in fact be possible to control the sun's transmission of infrared light (heat) as a function of the surrounding environment temperature. In other words, its optical behavior would allow a more effective management of heat exchanges between a living venue and the outdoor environment. However, this type of window is still in a developmental stage. First, the oxide's deposition is not simple in nature. Based on a conventional deposition technique called magnetron sputtering mainly used in the fenestration industry, several factors such as the oxygen concentration and the substrate temperature during deposition can affect the coating's thermochromic behavior, and this, by changing its composition and crystallinity. Other control parameters such as the deposition rate, the pressure in the sputtering chamber and the choice of substrate may also modify the film microstructure, thereby varying its optical and electrical properties. In addition, several issues still persist as to its commercial application. For starters, the material's structural transition, related to the change of its optical properties, only occurs around 68C. In addition, its low transparency and natural greenish colour are not visually appealing. Then, to this day, the deposition temperature required to crystallize and form the thermochromic oxide remains an obstacle for a possible large-scale application. Ultimately, although the material's change in temperature has been shown to be advantageous in situations of varying climate, the existing corrective solutions to these issues generate a deterioration of the thermochromic behavior. With no practical expertise on the material, this project was undertaken with certain objectives in mind. To start, we had to find a first recipe to obtain our first samples of the material. Using the literature as a starting point, several samples were deposited by magnetron sputtering while improving certain deposition conditions as well as varying influential deposition parameters. Once the oxide obtained, it was necessary to optimize the parameters not only to render thermochromic coatings with the highest possible quality, but also to determine each parameter's sensitivity

The usage of building energy accounts for 30–40% of total energy consumption in developed countries, exceeding the amount for industry or transportation. Around 50% energy for building services is contributed by heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems. More importantly, both building and HVAC energy consumptions are predicted to increase in the next two decades. Windows are considered as the least energy-efficient components of buildings. Therefore, smart windows are becoming increasingly important as they are capable of reducing HVAC energy usage by tuning the transmitted sunlight in a smart and favoured way: blocking solar irradiation on hot days, while letting it pass through on cold days. Compared with other type of smart windows, thermochromic windows have the unique advantages of cost-effectiveness, rational stimulus, and passive response. This book covers fabrication of vanadium dioxide–based smart windows, discusses various strategies to enhance their performance, and shares perspectives from the top scientists in this particular field.

This book is a practical guide to optical, optoelectronic, and semiconductor materials and provides an overview of the topic from its fundamentals to cutting-edge processing routes to groundbreaking technologies for the most recent applications. The book details the characterization and properties of these materials. Chemical methods of synthesis are emphasized by the authors throughout the publication. Describes new materials and updates to older materials that exhibit optical, optoelectronic and semiconductor behaviors; Covers the structural and mechanical aspects of the optical, optoelectronic and semiconductor materials for meeting mechanical property and safety requirements; Includes discussion of the environmental and sustainability issues regarding optical, optoelectronic, and semiconductor materials, from processing to recycling.

Due to their unique size-dependent physicochemical properties, nanostructured thin films are used in a wide range of applications from smart coating and drug delivery to electrocatalysis and highly-sensitive sensors. Depending on the targeted application and the deposition technique, these materials have been designed and developed by tuning their atomic-molecular 2D- and/or 3D-aggregation, thickness, crystallinity, and porosity, having effects on their optical, mechanical, catalytic, and conductive properties. Several open questions remain about the impact of nanomaterial production and use on environment and health. Many efforts are currently being made not only to prevent nanotechnologies and nanomaterials from contributing to environmental pollution but also to design nanomaterials to support, control, and protect the environment. This Special Issue aims to cover the recent advances in designing nanostructured films focusing on environmental issues related to their fabrication processes (e.g., low power and low cost technologies, the use of environmentally friendly solvents), their precursors (e.g., waste-recycled, bio-based, biodegradable, and natural materials), their applications (e.g., controlled release of chemicals, mimicking of natural processes, and clean energy conversion and storage), and their use in monitoring environment pollution (e.g., sensors optically- or electrically-sensitive to pollutants)

This book details flexible glass properties that enable use in emerging electronic and opto-electronic applications. Discussion includes flexible glass advantages compared to alternative substrate materials. Examples describe flexible glass in processes such as vacuum deposition, monolithic integration, printing, and roll-to-roll. Flexible glass demonstrations in emerging applications such as photovoltaics, flexible displays, and optical interconnects are also detailed. The reader will find in this unique book: -Discussion of flexible glass processing and mechanical reliability.-Demonstration of flexible glass in roll-to-roll (R2R) fabrication processes.-Flexible glass substrate examples in displays, sensors, and photovoltaics.-Flexible glass ecosystem description for identification of new applications.

This book provides the fundamental understanding of the functioning of solar cellsand the materials for the effective utilization of energy resources. The main objective of writing this book is to create a comprehensive and easy-to-understand source of information on the advances in the rapidly growing research on solar cells. Emerging Solar Energy Materials comprises 12 chapters written by the experts in the solar cell field and is organized with the intention to provide a big picture of the latest progress in the solar cell field and at the same time give an in-depth discussion on fundamentals of solar cells for interested audiences. In this book, each part opens with a new author's essay highlighting their work for contribution toward solar energy. Critical, cutting-edge subjects are addressed, including: Photovoltaic device technology and energy applications; Functional solar energy materials; New concept in solar energy; Perovskite solar cells; Dye-sensitized solar cells; Organic solar cells; Thin-film solar cells. The book is written for a large and broad readership including researchers and university graduate students from diverse backgrounds such as chemistry, physics, materials science, and photovoltaic device technology. The book includes enough information on the basics to be used as a textbook undergraduate coursework in engineering and the sciences.

This book addresses the fabrication of responsive functional nanomaterials and their use in sustainable energy and environmental applications. Responsive functional nanomaterials can change their physiochemical properties to adapt to their environment. Accordingly, these novel materials are playing an increasingly important role in a diverse range of applications, such as sensors and actuators, self-healing materials, separation, drug delivery, diagnostics, tissue engineering, functional coatings and textiles. This book reports on the latest advances in responsive functional nanomaterials in a wide range of applications and will appeal to a broad readership across the fields of materials, chemistry, sustainable energy, environmental science and nanotechnology.