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 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.

Chromogenic materials change their optical properties in response to an external stimulus. Due to their potential applications as light valve (e.g., in sun protecting glazing) or as temperature sensor, thermotropic, and thermochromic materials have come more and more into the focus of research and development. Commercialization of such high-tech products has already started and certainly many others will enter the market in near future. This book is the first to give an overview of the scientific and applicative aspects of the entire class of thermochromic and thermotropic materials. It discusses the origin of the thermo-optical effects at the molecular level and presents the macroscopic optical and material properties of chromogenic materials as well as their present and potential future application. With a view to particular potential applications, the book outlines the specific development strategies of these materials. The book addresses scientific and application-oriented researchers as well as students in the fields of smart adaptive polymers and sun-protecting materials. By providing the fundamental knowledge and outlining the future trends of thermochromism, this book familiarizes the readers with the entire field of the phenomenon.

"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

Covering the latest technologies, Nanotechnology in eco-efficient construction provides an authoritative guide to the role of nanotechnology in the development of eco-efficient construction materials and sustainable construction. The book contains a special focus on applications concerning concrete and cement, as nanotechnology is driving significant development in concrete technologies. The new edition has 14 new chapters, including 3 new parts: Mortars and concrete related applications; Applications for pavements and other structural materials; and Toxicity, safety handling and environmental impacts. Civil engineers requiring an understanding of eco-efficient construction materials, as well as researchers and architects within any field of nanotechnology, eco-efficient materials or the construction industry will find this updated reference to be highly valuable. - Addresses issues such as toxicity and LCA aspects - New chapters covering safety handling on occupational exposure of nanoparticles and the assessment of personal exposure to airborne nanomaterials - Discusses the effects of adding nano-particles on the durability and on the properties of geopolymers

Electrochemistry is the branch of chemistry that deals with the chemical action of electricity and the production of electricity by chemical reactions. In a world short of energy sources yet long on energy use, electrochemistry is a critical component of the mix necessary to keep the world economies growing. Electrochemistry is involved with such important applications as batteries, fuel cells, corrosion studies, hydrogen energy conversion, and bioelectricity. Research on electrolytes, cells, and electrodes is within the scope of this old but extremely dynamic field. This book details advances in metal electrodeposition.

This book discusses multiways in the porous materials. It involves materials with a large number of holes, and it highlights the synthesis, structure, and surface properties of porous materials closely related to more applications, such as support, catalyst, energy storage, chemical reactions, and optical applications. It studies the effect of the filling materials, the thermal treatments, and the porous density in the improvement of physical properties, electrical and energy efficiency, and the generation of new materials. Some synthetic process will be discussed with the effect of some parameters on the final characteristics of the prepared porous structures.