SBIR Phase I: Dynamic Infared Filter of Vanadium Oxide Window Films for Improved Energy Efficiency

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的重点是二元和三元钒氧化物中刺激响应金属绝缘体转变的商业化。在加入替代和/或间隙掺杂离子后，转变的显著可调性填补了它们作为动态红外过滤器在开窗（窗户、门和天窗）和汽车玻璃的热切换层压板中的关键技术空白。建筑中大部分的太阳热增益来自于红外能量（热）通过差绝缘玻璃单元的传输。刺激响应窗口层压板有几个独特的特点，以改善中空玻璃单元，包括：热切换热阻挡到传热金属绝缘体相变（反之亦然），而不显著改变可见光透过率，调整转变温度以满足不同气候区域的需要，并将纳米材料纳入柔性聚合物基质中用于高端卷对卷改造窗口层压板。这一独特的功能组合使我们的刺激响应窗口层压板在温暖的月份减少空调成本，同时允许阳光？在寒冷的月份，美国利用天然太阳能来温暖室内空间，而不会对可见的透明度产生不利影响。这个项目的更广泛的影响和商业潜力是使用可切换的窗户层压板来解决能源效率低下和过时建筑的关键需求，目前存在的85%以上的建筑将在20年内存在。这代表了美国一个相对未被充分利用的34亿美元规模的服务市场。最近对能源效率的关注主要涉及新建筑和深度翻新；然而，过时建筑的能源效率极低，需要一种简单、低成本的可改造解决方案来减少美国的能源消耗和二氧化碳排放。我们的刺激响应层压板满足了这一需求，并将有助于美国在绿色建筑材料和能源效率方面的竞争力。长期的社会影响将是更节能的建筑，减少碳足迹，特别是在现有建筑中。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 1 project focuses on commercialization of stimuli responsive metal-insulator transitions in binary and ternary vanadium oxides. The remarkable tunability of the transition upon incorporation of substitutional and/or interstitial dopant ions has filled a key technological gap for their deployment as a dynamic infrared filter in thermally switchable laminates for fenestration (windows, doors, and skylights) and automobile glass. Much of the solar heat gain in structures occurs from the transmission of infrared energy (heat) through poorly insulating glass units. The stimuli responsive window laminates have several unique features to improve insulating glass units including: thermally switchable heat-blocking to heat-transmitting metal-insulator phase changes (or vice versa) without a substantial change in visible transmittance, adjustment of the transition temperature to meet the needs of different climatic regions, and incorporation of the nanomaterials into a flexible polymer matrix for high-end roll-to-roll retrofittable window laminates. The combination of this unique feature set enables our stimuli responsive window laminates to mitigate air-conditioning costs during warmer months while allowing the sun?s natural solar energy to warm interior spaces during cooler months without adversely affecting visible transparency. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is in using switchable window laminates to address critical needs in energy inefficient and outdated buildings, where more than 85% of buildings that exist today will exist in 20 years. This represents a relatively underutilized served market of size of $3.4 billion in the U.S. Much of the recent focus on energy efficiency relates to new buildings and deep renovations; yet the overwhelmingly poor energy efficiency of outdated buildings necessitates a facile low-cost retrofittable solution to reduce energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. Our stimuli responsive laminates address this need and will contribute to U.S. competitiveness in green building materials and energy efficiency. The long term society impact will be more energy efficient buildings with a reduced carbon footprint, particularly in existing buildings.