LEAPS-MPS: Investigation of Electrochromic Polymer Induced Plasmon Switching on Gold Nanocrystals and its Application for Smart Windows

在这个由美国国家科学基金会化学系资助的项目中，中佛罗里达大学的陈刚教授和他的学生将进行研究，旨在将电致变色聚合物与等离子体纳米颗粒相结合，以构建一种性能更好的新型智能窗户。智能窗户可以选择性地调节太阳光的透射率和反射率，可以显著提高生活的舒适性和安全性，并大幅降低建筑物和汽车空调的能耗。智能窗的性能主要取决于有色材料，而聚合物电致变色材料因其着色效率高、响应速度快、加工性好而具有很大的商业价值。然而，电致变色聚合物在较高的电化学势下会发生劣化。这种劣化会影响它们的长期循环性能，降低它们的颜色对比度，从而阻碍了聚合物电致变色材料的商业化。陈教授和他的学生将通过开发由等离子体纳米颗粒和电致变色聚合物组成的混合材料来应对这一挑战，这些材料可以用来制造具有改进颜色切换特性的智能窗设备。该项目旨在向新一代人展示智能材料的研究，使他们在未来的科学创新中发挥主导作用。陈教授计划让研究生和本科生，特别是STEM领域中代表性不足的少数族裔学生，以及高中生参与该项目，以扩大以研究和参与为导向的外联活动的整合。等离子体纳米粒子，包括金、银和铜，在其等离子激元波长具有很强的光吸收和散射，可以从可见光到近红外进行综合调节。等离子体的性质强烈地依赖于它们的介电环境，因此可以很容易地被电致变色聚合物的漂白和有色状态之间的转变所带来的介电变化所改变。等离子体纳米粒子的引入有望极大地改善电致变色聚合物在不同状态下的颜色对比度，从而避免其可能的电化学劣化。这一研究将进一步加深我们对电致变色聚合物诱导等离子体纳米粒子的等离子体开关行为的理解。由等离子体纳米粒子/电致变色聚合物杂化纳米结构制成的智能窗口器件有望具有更好的颜色切换特性。从这项研究中获得的知识也将有助于设计许多其他基于等离子激元的光学设备，用于控制和引导广泛领域的光，如信息显示、防伪油墨和癌症治疗的光热系统。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

In this project, funded by the Chemistry Division at NSF, Professor Gang Chen and his students at the University of Central Florida will perform studies that aim to integrate electrochromic polymer with plasmonic nanoparticles to build a new type of smart windows with improved performance. Smart windows, whose transmittance/reflection of sunlight can be selectively adjusted, can dramatically improve the comfortability and security of living, and drastically reduce the energy consumptions of air conditioning in buildings and automobile vehicles. The performance of smart windows mainly depends on chromic materials, and polymer electrochromic materials are of great commercial value because of their high coloration efficiency, fast response speed, and high processability. However, electrochromic polymers will deteriorate under high applied electrochemical potentials. The deterioration will affect their long-term cyclability and lower their color contrast, which prevents the commercialization of the polymer electrochromic materials. Professor Chen and his students will tackle this challenge by developing hybrid materials consisting of plasmonic nanoparticle and electrochromic polymer that can be used to fabricate smart-window devices with improved color-switching characteristics. This project intends to expose smart materials research for a new generation so that they will take a leading role in future scientific innovation. Prof. Chen plans to involve graduate and undergraduate students, especially underrepresented minority students in STEM fields, as well as high school students in the project to broaden the integration of research and participation-oriented outreach activities. Plasmonic nanoparticles, including gold, silver, and copper, have strong light absorption and scattering at their plasmon wavelengths, which can be synthetically tuned from visible to near infrared. The plasmonic properties are strongly dependent on their dielectric environments and thereafter can be easily varied by the dielectric change brought by the transition between bleached and colored states of electrochromic polymer. The introduction of plasmonic nanoparticles is expected to largely improve the color contrast of electrochromic polymer under different states and therefore avoid its possible electrochemical deterioration. This study will further our understanding on electrochromic polymer-induced plasmonic switching behaviors of plasmonic nanoparticles. Smart-window devices fabricated from plasmonic nanoparticles/electrochromic polymer hybrid nanostructures are expected to have improved color-switching characteristics. The knowledge gained from this study will also be useful for designing many other plasmon-based optical devices for controlling and directing light for a wide range of areas such as information displays, anti-counterfeiting inks, and photothermal systems for cancer therapy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.