High Performance and Enhanced Durability of Thermochromic Films Using VO2@ZnO Core–Shell Nanoparticles

For VO2-based thermochromic smart windows, high luminous transmittance (Tlum) and solar regulation efficiency (ΔTsol) are usually pursued as the most critical issues, which have been discussed in numerous researches. However, environmental durability, which has rarely been considered, is also so vital for practical application because it determines lifetime and cycle times of smart windows. In this paper, we report novel VO2@ZnO core–shell nanoparticles with ultrahigh durability as well as improved thermochromic performance. The VO2@ZnO nanoparticles-based thermochromic film exhibits a robust durability that the ΔTsol keeps 77% (from 19.1% to 14.7%) after 103 hours in a hyperthermal and humid environment, while a relevant property of uncoated VO2 nanoparticles-based film badly deteriorates after 30 h. Meanwhile, compared with the uncoated VO2-based film, the VO2@ZnO-based film demonstrates an 11.0% increase (from 17.2% to 19.1%) in ΔTsol and a 31.1% increase (from 38.9% to 51.0%) in Tlum. Such integrated thermochromic performance expresses good potential for practical application of VO2-based smart windows.