Thermochromic Metal Halide Perovskite Windows with Ideal Transition Temperatures

TL;DR

This paper develops thermochromic metal halide perovskite windows with tunable transition temperatures, demonstrating their potential to reduce building energy consumption across various climate zones.

Contribution

It introduces a novel composite perovskite film with controlled transition temperatures for thermochromic windows, validated through modeling and experimental methods.

Findings

Optimal transition temperature range of 20-27.5°C identified

Significant energy savings demonstrated in simulations across US climates

Controlled by co-intercalation of methanol in perovskite films

Abstract

Urban centers across the globe are responsible for a significant fraction of energy consumption and CO2 emission. As urban centers continue to grow, the popularity of glass as cladding material in urban buildings is an alarming trend. Dynamic windows reduce heating and cooling loads in buildings by passive heating in cold seasons and mitigating solar heat gain in hot seasons. In this work, we develop a mesoscopic building energy model that demonstrates reduced building energy consumption when thermochromic windows are employed. Savings are realized across eight disparate climate zones of the United States. We use the model to determine the ideal critical transition temperature of 20 to 27.5 {\deg}C for thermochromic windows based on metal halide perovskite materials. Ideal transition temperatures are realized experimentally in composite metal halide perovskite film composed of perovskite crystals and an adjacent reservoir phase. The transition temperature is controlled by co-intercalating methanol, instead of water, with methylammonium iodide and tailoring the hydrogen-bonding chemistry of the reservoir phase. Thermochromic windows based on metal halide perovskites represent a clear opportunity to mitigate the effects of energy-hungry buildings.