Designing optically transparent heat insulation coating through chemical strain modulation

This study discusses various designs, wherein visibly transparent heat reflector coatings are developed on glass substrates that could find application either as sun control coatings in vehicle windows or heat insulation coating in the windows of energy efficient buildings. Furthermore, a range of the temperature modulation strategies (i.e., tunable temperature at which transition between the heat transmission and reflection occurs) are devised through chemically straining VO<inf>2</inf> thin films via several transition elements (with higher oxidation state) of varying size and concentration which act as electron donors. Moreover, a detailed discussion on the dopant-induced lattice strain and electronic structure modifications are discussed here to understand the degree of alteration in the structural, electrical, and optical characteristics. In the end, commercialization possibilities of these strained thin films are evaluated through characterization of their luminous and solar transmittance, along with switching efficiency and solar modulation ability.