• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.26 no.10
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• pp.481-485
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• 2014

Low solar gain glazing should be applied on windows in order to reduce the solar radiation load. In a country where a cooling and a heating load coexist throughout the year, such as in Korea, a high solar gain glazing is need to reduce the heating load, but a low solar gain glazing should be applied to reduce the cooling load. Recently, dynamic windows have been developed for which the solar shading performance switches according to the amount of solar radiation flowing into the indoor space through the glazing, and these have been used in building to solve such problems. The purpose of this research is to analyze the energy performance of the electrochromic glazing for dynamic windows that has been extensively commercialized for office buildings in Incheon and Ulsan through an energy simulation implemented in the eQUEST program.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.28 no.12
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• pp.753-764
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• 2015

Among several types of energy saving smart window technologies, the leader, the dynamic EC (electrochromic) window one needs integrated PV (photovoltaics), to minimize expensive electrical wiring as well as to obviate the need for external energy. Self-powered smart windows were reviewed according to PV types used. DSSCs (dye sensitized solar cells) were found to be compatible with EC cells, to have several categories of next generation smart windows such as PECCs (photoelectrochromic cells), PVCCs (photovoltachromic cells), EC polymer PECCs. In addition silicon solar cells and third generation solar cells were investigated. They are summarized in a table showing their advantages and disadvantages respectively for a fast comparison. The strategy to expedite the commercialization of these next generation smart windows includes developing retrofit smart window coverings for use on flexible polymer substrates adhered to the inside surface of a window and easily replaced after use for upto 10 years.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.58-62
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• 2020

Recently, electrochromic devices (ECDs) have gathered increasing attention owing to their high color contrast and memory effect, which make them highly applicable to smart windows, auto-dimming mirrors, sensors, etc. Traditional ECDs have a sandwich structure that contains an electrochromic layer between two ITO substrates. These sandwich-type devices are usually fabricated through the lamination of two electrodes and followed by the injection of a liquid electrolyte in the inner space. However, this process is sometimes complex and time consuming. In this study, we fabricated ECDs with a lateral electrode structure that uses only an ITO substrate and an all-in-one electrochromic gel, which is a mixture of electrolyte and electrochromic material. Furthermore, we investigated the EC properties of the lateral-type device by comparing it with a sandwich-type device. The lateral-type ECD shows strong blue absorption as the applied voltage increases and has a competitive coloration efficiency compared to the sandwich-type device.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2023

According to the recent global warming, it is necessary to use energy efficiently together with eco-friendly energy. The development of alternative technologies is requisite for managing the current energy and climate crises. In this regard, "smart windows," which can control solar radiation, can be used to mitigate energy demands. Electrochromic devices (ECDs) effectively control the amount of solar energy reaching commercial and other living areas and maintain climate conditions via color modulation in response to small external stimuli, such as temperature and light irradiation. However, the performance and the stability of ECDs depend on the state of the electrolyte and sealing of the device. To resolve the aforementioned issues, an ECD was manufactured by using a poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)-based gel polymer electrolyte (GPE), and a laminating method was used to adequately seal the ECD. The concentrations of PMMA, acetonitrile (ACN), and ferrocene (Fc) were controlled to optimize the composition of the GPE to achieve an enhanced electrochromic performance. The fabricated GPE-based ECD afforded high optical contrast (~81.92%), with high electrochromic stability up to 10,000 cycles. Moreover, the lamination method employing the GPE could be used to fabricate large-area ECDs.

• Electrical & Electronic Materials
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• v.9 no.7
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• pp.690-695
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• 1996

We have systematically investigated the characterization of V$_{2}$O$_{5}$ thin films as a counter electrode for lithium based complementary electrochromic devices. The V$_{2}$O$_{5}$ thin films were prepared by thermal vacuum evaporation with varing the substrate temperature and film thickness. In electrochromic devices for smart windows, the WO$_{3}$ thin films with 400-800 nm thickness require to be capable of reversibly injection 10-15 mC/cm$^{2}$ of lithium, which is readily accomplished charge-balanced switching in a V$_{2}$O$_{5}$ thin films with 100-150nm thick. The V$_{2}$O$_{5}$ thin films produces considerably small changes in optical modulation properties in the visible and near infrared region(500-1100 nm) compared to the amorphous WO$_{3}$ thin films on 10-15 mC/cm$^{2}$ of lithium injection and the V$_{2}$O$_{5}$ thin films can therefore act as a counter electrode to WO$_{3}$ in a lithium based complementary clectrochromic devices. After 10$^{5}$ coloration/bleaching switching time, the degradation does not occurs and the devices exhibit a stable optical modulation in V$_{2}$O$_{5}$ thin films. It has shown that the injected lithium ion amounts in crystalline V$_{2}$O$_{5}$ thin films with the same thickness is large by 3-5 mC/cm$^{2}$ of lithium compared to the amorphous thin films in the same driving conditions. Therefore, to optimize the device performance, it is necessary to choose an appropriate film thickness and crystallinity of V$_{2}$O$_{5}$ for amorphous WO$_{3}$ film thickness as a working electrode.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.275-280
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• 2022

An all-solid-state electrochromic film was fabricated by laminating tungsten oxide (WO₃) and nickel oxide (NiO) thin films deposited by a reactive DC magnetron sputtering on flexible ITO films. The influence of oxygen partial pressure on the crystal structure, microstructure, optical properties, and electrochromic properties of WO₃ and NiO thin films were investigated. WO₃ and NiO films showed the best electrochromic properties under the flow of Ar:O₂=80:20 and Ar:O₂=90:10, respectively. The EC film fabricated with an optimized WO₃ and NiO films showed a high coloration efficiency, a fast response time, and a stable optical modulation. It is expected that flexible EC window films will pave the way for the next-generation energy-saving windows.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 1995.07c
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• pp.1220-1222
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• 1995

In the design of a complementary electrochromic windows based on $WO_3/Li^+$ conducting electrolyte/$V_2O_5$ system, a characterization of electrochromic properties of $WO_3/V_2O_5$ complementary devices as a function of thickness combinations is necessary in order to predict such as the safe operating voltage, the optical modulation range and the optical switching response. In this paper, the effects of $WO_3\;and\;V_2O_5$ thin films thickness combinations on device performance were systematically investigated.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.13-21
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• 2023

Smart windows are capable of varying their visible light transmittance (VLT) in response to changing environmental conditions. The VLT variability of architectural windows is highly valuable because it enables indoor lighting and energy environments to align with external changes. However, challenges such as high installation costs and assurance of glass visibility have prompted the exploration of alternative solutions, including models incorporating partially applied smart windows., Prior research focused on useful daylight illuminance (UDI) analysis for south-facing office buildings, pointing out suitable areas for smart-window implementation to enhance lighting control. In this study, we broadened this scope by determining optimal smart-window application zones under changing building orientation. Furthermore, we studied the correlation between building orientation and smart-window deployment areas.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.333-342
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• 2021

A flexible electrochromic device (ECD) is a promising technology that is expected to be applied in various fields such as smart windows. Polymer electrolyte is an important component that determines the bleaching-coloration performance and physical stability of flexible ECDs. In this study, a pore-filled polymer electrolyte membrane (PFPEM) with excellent dimensional stability was developed to effectively fabricate flexible ECDs and improve durability. Polyvinyl acetate, which has excellent adhesion, and polyethylene glycol, which can improve ionic conductivity, were filled in the pores of a porous substrate made of polyethylene, which is inexpensive and has excellent physical and chemical stability. The optimal lithium salt (LiTFSI) content of the prepared PFPEM was determined at about 27 wt%, and it was confirmed to possess excellent dimensional stability, adhesive strength, and ion conductivity close to that of conventional polymer electrolytes. Although the visible light transmittance was lowered by the use of the porous substrate, it was expected to act as an advantage in the colored state.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.132-138
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• 2021

Electrochromic devices (ECDs) have been drawing great attention due to their high color contrast, low power consumption, and memory effect, and can be used in smart windows, automatic dimming mirrors, and information display devices. As with other electronic devices such as LEDs (light emitting diodes), solar cells, and transistors, the mechanical flexibility of ECDs is one of the most important issue for their potential applications. In this paper, we report on flexible ECDs (f-ECDs) fabricated using an all-in-one EC gel, which is a mixture of electrolyte and EC material. The f-ECDs are compared with rigid ECDs (r-ECDs) on ITO glass substrate in terms of color contrast, coloration efficiency, and switching speed. It is confirmed that the f-ECDs embedding all-in-one gel show strong blue absorption and have competitive EC performance. Repetitive bending tests show a degradation of electrochromic performance, which must be improved using an optimized device fabrication process.