Dual-Band Electrochromic Smart Window Based on Single-Component Nanocrystals

Building energy consumption has become one of the main sources of social primary energy consumption and global carbon emissions, and the development of building energy-saving technology has become one of the focus issues. Dual-band electrochromic smart windows (DESWs) can independently control the visible (VIS) light and near-infrared (NIR) thermal radiation in the sunlight, so that the indoor lighting and temperature can reach the level of human comfort, which is expected to reduce the energy consumption of buildings in heating, cooling, and artificial lighting systems. In recent years, DESWs based on single-component nanocrystals (NCs) have attracted much attention because of their facile construction method and excellent dual-band electrochromic performance. On the basis of the working mechanism of the DESWs, the spotlight article will first briefly introduce the basic principle and performance evaluation index of DESWs. Then the latest advances in DESWs based on typical single-component NCs are summarized. In addition, the challenges faced by DESWs based on single-component NCs and the potential development direction are also discussed.