TY - JOUR
T1 - A fully self-powered, ultra-stable cholesteric smart window triggered by instantaneous mechanical stimuli
AU - Wang, Jiaqi
AU - Meng, Cuiling
AU - Wang, Chun Ta
AU - Liu, Chia Hua
AU - Chang, Yong Hsiang
AU - Li, Cheng Chang
AU - Tseng, Heng Yi
AU - Kwok, Hoi Sing
AU - Zi, Yunlong
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021
PY - 2021/7
Y1 - 2021/7
N2 - Smart windows (SWs), especially self-powered SWs, are desirable in a great variety of applications. Nowadays, nearly all SWs require continuous power supply enabled by batteries or energy harvesters such as solar cells, etc. However, batteries are usually with limited lifetime and potential environmental issues, while solar cells largely depend on the weather conditions. In this work, a fully self-powered, instantaneous-mechanical-stimuli-triggered, normally transparent smart window was developed based on an elaborately tailored cholesteric liquid crystal (LC) and a freestanding sliding triboelectric nanogenerator (FS-TENG). The transparency switching including transparency-to-haziness and haziness-to-transparency are facilely triggered by instantaneous TENG-charging and pressure-loading, respectively, with the high transparency contrast of 71.5% and the haze contrast of 61.8%. Both transparent and opaque modes can sustain for an extremely long time without continuous power supplies from energy harvesters. The smart window demonstrated in this work shows the capability of fully self-powered irradiation control for indoor temperature modulation and battery-free privacy information protection while the continuous power supply is no longer required, benefiting a wide variety of fields such as self-powered sunroofs, smart farming systems, motion-driven privacy protection systems, etc.
AB - Smart windows (SWs), especially self-powered SWs, are desirable in a great variety of applications. Nowadays, nearly all SWs require continuous power supply enabled by batteries or energy harvesters such as solar cells, etc. However, batteries are usually with limited lifetime and potential environmental issues, while solar cells largely depend on the weather conditions. In this work, a fully self-powered, instantaneous-mechanical-stimuli-triggered, normally transparent smart window was developed based on an elaborately tailored cholesteric liquid crystal (LC) and a freestanding sliding triboelectric nanogenerator (FS-TENG). The transparency switching including transparency-to-haziness and haziness-to-transparency are facilely triggered by instantaneous TENG-charging and pressure-loading, respectively, with the high transparency contrast of 71.5% and the haze contrast of 61.8%. Both transparent and opaque modes can sustain for an extremely long time without continuous power supplies from energy harvesters. The smart window demonstrated in this work shows the capability of fully self-powered irradiation control for indoor temperature modulation and battery-free privacy information protection while the continuous power supply is no longer required, benefiting a wide variety of fields such as self-powered sunroofs, smart farming systems, motion-driven privacy protection systems, etc.
KW - Privacy protection system
KW - Self-powered smart system
KW - Smart window
KW - Triboelectric nanogenerator
UR - https://www.webofscience.com/wos/woscc/full-record/WOS:000663443900002
UR - https://openalex.org/W3138401430
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85103684847
U2 - 10.1016/j.nanoen.2021.105976
DO - 10.1016/j.nanoen.2021.105976
M3 - Journal Article
SN - 2211-2855
VL - 85
JO - Nano Energy
JF - Nano Energy
M1 - 105976
ER -
