Molecularly engineered CMC-caged PNIPAM for broadband light management in energy-saving window

Yang Liu; Qunfeng Chen; Gengmei Liu; Tao Tao; Haodong Sun; Zhenhui Lin; Lihui Chen; Qingxian Miao; Jianguo Li

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2021.119056

Molecularly engineered CMC-caged PNIPAM for broadband light management in energy-saving window

Carbohydr Polym. 2022 Apr 1:281:119056. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2021.119056. Epub 2022 Jan 1.

Authors

Yang Liu¹, Qunfeng Chen¹, Gengmei Liu¹, Tao Tao¹, Haodong Sun¹, Zhenhui Lin¹, Lihui Chen², Qingxian Miao³, Jianguo Li⁴

Affiliations

¹ College of Material Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Plant Fiber Functional Materials, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
² College of Material Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Plant Fiber Functional Materials, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China. Electronic address: lihuichen@fafu.edu.cn.
³ College of Material Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Plant Fiber Functional Materials, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China. Electronic address: miaoqingxian@163.com.
⁴ College of Material Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Plant Fiber Functional Materials, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China. Electronic address: jianguolicn@fafu.edu.cn.

PMID: 35074123
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2021.119056

Abstract

Dynamic transparent-opaque transition behavior endows the stimuli-chromic materials with the solar modulation capability. However, these materials commonly involve the high manufacturing cost and complexity, the additional consumption of electric energy for solar modulation, or the weak effectiveness of light management. Herein, we develop a low-cost yet broadband light management sodium carboxymethyl cellulose-caging-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) thermochromic composite (i.e., CMC/PNIPAM), where the nanoscale-skeleton CMC molecules well cage the PNIPAM molecules, which enables the homogeneous dispersion and sufficient distribution of the PNIPAM nanogels in the system. The CMC/PNIPAM features the excellent solar-modulation capability (including optical transmittance modulation of 68.17% and infrared transmittance modulation of 48.50%) and a low phase temperature of 30 °C, as well as the long-term stability of dynamic transparent-opaque transition. Such merits of the broadband light management, low cost, simply fabrication as well as scaling up, make the CMC/PNIPAM function as a promising candidate for the energy-saving buildings and construction.

Keywords: Cage structure; Molecular engineering; Nanoscale CMC; PNIPAM nanogels; Solar modulation.