Facile synthesis of urchin-like Cs x WO3 particles with improved transparent thermal insulation using bacterial cellulose as a template

Abstract

Urchin-like Cs _x WO₃ particles were synthesized using bacterial cellulose (BC) as a template by the hydrothermal method. The effects of the BC addition amount on the morphology, W⁵⁺ content and transparent thermal insulation of Cs _x WO₃ were studied. It has been confirmed that abnormal growth of Cs _x WO₃ rods was greatly reduced after introduction of BC into the precursor solution. Moreover, introduction of BC into the precursor solution could significantly improve the transparent thermal insulation properties of the Cs _x WO₃ film. In particular, when the BC amount was appropriate, the prepared Cs _x WO₃ film exhibited better visible transparency, with the visible light transmittance (T _Vis) more than 60%. In addition, the urchin-like particles could be transformed into small size nanorods after H₂ heat-treatment, exhibiting excellent visible light transparency and thermal insulation performance. In particular, it has been proved that the 20BC-HT-Cs _x WO₃ film exhibits excellent thermal insulation performance, and shows broad application prospects in the field of solar heat filters and energy-saving window glass.