Dual‐band electrochromic materials for energy‐saving smart windows

Abstract

Smart windows refer to those which can dynamically modulate the transmitted light by changing their colors. Dual‐band electrochromic materials (ECMs) refer to materials that can change their colors and regulate light transmission in both visible (VIS) and infrared (IR) regions under different voltages. The dual‐band ECMs‐based building windows can thus regulate the indoor temperature to reduce the energy consumption for heating and air‐conditioning systems. Therefore, the wide application of ECMs in building windows will contribute a lot to establishing an energy‐saving society. During the past decades, enormous efforts have been made to improve the performance of dual‐band ECMs. This review presents a summary of the recent progress of dual‐band ECMs, focusing on their modulation mechanism, material design, and performance optimization. Finally, the challenges and outlook of dual‐band ECMs are also discussed.