Thermochromic properties and low emissivity of ZnO:Al/VO2 double-layered films with a lowered phase transition temperature

We studied the optical and semiconductor-metal (S-M) transition properties of ZnO:Al/VO₂/substrate double-layered films that consisted of a ZnO:Al top layer and a VO₂ bottom layer. ZnO:Al and VO₂ films were grown on fused silica substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering and polymer-assisted deposition, respectively. The ZnO:Al/VO₂/substrate films displayed low emissivity (0.31-0.32) with integrated luminous transmittance (T_lum>46%) and thermochromic properties (ΔT_sol>4.1%). The low emissivity and thermochromic properties were independently introduced by the transparent conductive ZnO:Al layer and the VO₂ layer. In addition, the S-M transition temperatures for VO₂ shifted to lower temperatures after the ZnO:Al deposition process, which was due to the formation of surface nonstoichiometry—oxygen deficiency that was induced by the ZnO:Al deposition process.     

Functional requirements for component films in a solar thin-film photovoltaic/thermal panel

The functional requirements of the component films of a solar thin-film photovoltaic/thermal panel were considered. Particular emphasis was placed on the new functions, that each layer is required to perform, in addition to their pre-existing functions. The cut-off wavelength of the window layer, required for solar selectivity, can be achieved with charge carrier concentrations typical of photovoltaic devices, and thus does not compromise electrical efficiency. The upper (semiconductor) absorber layer has a sufficiently high thermal conductivity that there is negligible temperature difference across the film, and thus negligible loss in thermal performance. The lower (cermet) absorber layer can be fabricated with a high ceramic content, to maintain high solar selectivity, without significant increase in electrical resistance. A thin layer of molybdenum-based cermet at the top of this layer can provide an Ohmic contact to the upper absorber layer. A layer of aluminium nitride between the metal substrate and the back metal contact can provide electrical isolation to avoid short-circuiting of series-connected cells, while maintaining a thermal path to the metal substrate and heat extraction systems. Potential problems of differential contraction of heated films and substrates were identified, with a recommendation that fabrication processes, which avoid heating, are preferable.     

Electrochromic properties of porous NiO thin films prepared by a chemical bath deposition

Highly porous nickel oxide thin films were prepared on ITO glass by a simple chemical bath deposition (CBD) method in combination with a following heat-treatment process. XRD analysis revealed that the as-deposited precursor film contained β-Ni(OH)₂ and γ-NiOOH, and they changed to cubic polycrystalline NiO after annealing. The FTIR results showed presence of free hydroxyl ion and water in the NiO thin films. The electrochromic properties of NiO thin films were investigated in an aqueous alkaline electrolyte (1 M KOH) by means of transmittance, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA) measurements. The NiO thin film annealed at 300 °C exhibited a noticeable electrochromism and good memory effect. The coloration efficiency was calculated to be 42 cm² C⁻¹ at 550 nm, with a variation of transmittance up to 82%. The porous NiO thin films also showed good reaction kinetics with fast switching speed, and the coloration and bleaching time were 8 and 10 s, respectively.     

A review on lithium-ion power battery thermal management technologies and thermal safety

Lithium-ion power battery has become one of the main power sources for electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles because of superior performance compared with other power sources.In order to ensure the safety and improve the performance,the maximum operating temperature and local temperature difference of batteries must be maintained in an appropriate range.The effect of temperature on the capacity fade and aging are simply investigated.The electrode structure,including electrode thickness,particle size and porosity,are analyzed.It is found that all of them have significant influences on the heat generation of battery.Details of various thermal management technologies,namely air based,phase change material based,heat pipe based and liquid based,are discussed and compared from the perspective of improving the external heat dissipation.The selection of different battery thermal management (BTM) technologies should be based on the cooling demand and applications,and liquid cooling is suggested being the most suitable method for large-scale battery pack charged/discharged at higher C-rate and in high-temperature environment.The thermal safety in the respect of propagation and suppression of thermal runaway is analyzed.     

Electrochromic and photoelectrochemical behavior of electrodeposited tungsten trioxide films

Electrodeposited WO₃ films exhibit reversible photochromic and electrochromic behavior (blue coloration with absorption in the near-IR region). The W-4f core level of WO₃ film at different levels of coloration has been investigated using XPS. The W-4f peaks become broader after coloration. Photoelectrochemical measurements have shown a low photoelectric conversion, efficiency of WO₃ film.     

Electrochromic properties of Ni oxide thin films in diluted acidic electrolytes and their stability

Electrochromic (EC) properties of sputtered Ni oxide films have been examined in 1 M KCl+H₂SO₄ acidic aqueous solutions with H₂SO₄ concentrations of 0–50 mM. EC coloration efficiency comparable to that in alkaline electrolytes was obtained in all the solutions and no remarkable degradation in charge capacity was observed up to 100 cycles. These results offer support for the practical construction of efficient complementary EC devices using dilute acidic aqueous electrolytes.     

Electrochromic behaviour of Nb2O5 thin films with different morphologies obtained by spray pyrolysis

Two different procedures to stabilize the precursor NbCl₅ have been applied to obtain Nb₂O₅ thin films by spray pyrolysis. Depending on the procedure used, determined by the way in which the precursor solution was injected into the air stream of the spray nozzle, niobium oxide thin films with different surface morphologies can be obtained. The structural properties of the Nb₂O₅ thin films depend on the post-annealing temperature because as-deposited films are amorphous, independently of the synthesis procedure used. The electrochromic behaviour has been estimated for all films, where monochromatic colouration efficiency (at 660 nm) of 25.5 cm²/C and a cathodic charge density close to 24 mC/cm² were found to give the best results to date for niobium oxide thin films obtained by spray pyrolysis.     

Electrochromic tungsten oxide films: Review of progress 1993–1998

W oxide films are of critical importance for electrochromic device technology, such as for smart windows capable of varying the throughput of visible light and solar energy. This paper reviews the progress that has taken place since 1993 with regard to film deposition, characterization by physical and chemical techniques, optical properties, as well as electrochromic device assembly and performance. The main goal is to provide an easy entrance to the relevant scientific literature.     

Integrated thermal management strategy and materials for solid oxide fuel cells

The application of positive temperature coefficient (PTC) thermistors to thermal management of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) is considered. A strategy is proposed for eliminating hotspots and reducing temperature gradients in SOFCs via inclusion of a material that exhibits a dramatic change in resistance near the desired maximum cell temperature. Three PTC thermistor materials with transition temperatures near the maximum desirable SOFC operating temperature are identified and screened for compatibility with common SOFC materials. All are found to be unsuitable because of reaction with the SOFC materials or unacceptably small PTC effect.     

Electrochromic device of PEDOT–PANI hybrid system for fast response and high optical contrast

An organic–organic hybrid system composed of the polyaniline (PANI) and poly-(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) with controlled thickness was developed successfully in order to realize synergetic effects in electrochromic (EC) properties such as optical contrast and color-switching rate. From the UV transmittance spectra, we found that the optical contrast (Δ%T) was enhanced up to 6–72% at the wavelength of 580 nm compared with the previous PANI–PEDOT ECDs. Furthermore, the optimized ECD showed an extremely fast response time of less than 160 ms. It is therefore concluded that such a complementary full .cell system of PEDOT–PANI ECD is applicable as an optical device.     

Air-cooled micro-porous heat exchangers for thermal management of fuel cells

This paper presents 3D numerical simulation of an air-cooled metal foam heat exchanger with potential application in thermal management of fuel cell systems in general and Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells, PEMFCs, in particular. It has been shown that the new design can lead to a uniform temperature distribution for the heated plate especially at higher air flow speeds. The heat transfer enhancement because of the foams leads to an increase in the pressure drop which is, interestingly, comparable to that of water-cooled PEMFCs. Other potential benefits of the application of metal foams for fuel cell thermal management are briefly discussed and estimated.     

Thermal management of electronic components with thermal adaptation composite material

Thermal adaptation composite material is a kind of composite material with required thermal conductivity or coefficient of thermal expansion through the selection and design of its components. A kind of thermal adaptation composite material that has excellent thermal conductivity and heat storage capacity is prepared by absorbing paraffin into expanded graphite. An electronic cooling experimental system based on the thermal adaptation composite material is built. The temperature variations of the simulative chip are respectively measured in this system and the traditional cooling system to investigate the effect of the thermal adaptation composite material on electronic cooling. At the same time, the impacts of composite material dosage and combining active cooling manner on the performance of electronic cooling are also studied. The experimental results show that the apparent heat transfer coefficients of the electronic cooling experimental system are 1.25–1.30 times higher than those of the traditional cooling system. It also can be found that the dosage of composite material has positive impact on the performance of electronic cooling. By combining active cooling manner, it can compensate the deficiency of cooling capacity in phase change thermal control.     

Review of metal hydride hydrogen storage thermal management for use in the fuel cell systems

Thermal management of metal hydride (MH) hydrogen storage systems is critically important to maintain the hydrogen absorption and release rates at desired levels. Implementing thermal management arrangements introduces challenges at system level mostly related to system's overall mass, volume, energy efficiency, complexity and maintenance, long-term durability, and cost. Low effective thermal conductivity (ETC) of the MH bed (~0.1–0.3 W/mK) is a well-known challenge for effective implementation of different thermal management techniques. This paper comprehensively reviews thermal management solutions for the MH hydrogen storage used in fuel cell systems by also focusing on heat transfer enhancement techniques and assessment of heat sources used for this purpose. The literature recommended that the ETC of the MH bed should be greater than 2 W/mK, and heat transfer coefficient with heating/cooling media should be in the range of 1000–1200 W/m²K to achieve desired MH's performance. Furthermore, alternative heat sources such as fuel cell heat recovery or capturing MH heat during charging and releasing it back during discharging have also been thoroughly reviewed here. Finally, this review paper highlights the gaps and suggests directions accordingly for future research on thermal management for MH systems.     

Electrochromic properties of nanocomposite WO3 films

A new nanocomposite WO₃ (NWO) film-based electrochromic layer was fabricated by a spray and electroplating technique in sequence. An indium–tin oxide (ITO) nanoparticle layer was employed as a permanent template to generate the particular nanostructure. The structure and morphology of the NWO film were characterized. The optical and electrochromic properties of the NWO films under lithium intercalation are described and compared to the regular WO₃ film. The NWO films showed an improved cycling life and an improved contrast with compatible bleach-coloration transition time, owing to the larger reactive surface area. The nanocomposite WO₃ film-based electrochromic device (NWO-ECD) was also successfully fabricated. Most importantly, the NWO film can be prepared on a large scale directly onto a transparent conductive substrate, which demonstrates its potential for many electrochromic applications, especially, smart windows, sunroof and displays.     

Numerical evaluation of various thermal management strategies for polymer electrolyte fuel cell stacks

Thermal management is one of the key factors required to ensure good performance polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) stacks. The choice of the thermal management strategy depends on the specific application, size, weight, design, complexity, and cost. In this work, we investigate various alternative thermal management strategies for PEFC stacks, e.g., forced convection in specially design cooling plate/channel with either (i) liquid or (ii) air as the coolant; (iii) edge-air cooling with fins and; combine oxidant and coolant flow (open-cathode) with (iv) forced and (v) natural convection air cooling. A three-dimensional two-phase model, comprising of the equations of conservation of mass, momentum, species, energy and charge, is employed to quantify the performance of various cooling strategies. The results demonstrate that thermal management is essential to ensure good stack performance. Liquid cooling, as expected, performs the best compared to air cooling, whereas natural convection cooling is just marginally able to maintain a stack with large number of cells from steep drop in performance. Finally, results presented in this paper can provide useful design guidelines for selection of a suitable thermal management strategy for a PEFC stack and its near-to- or optimum cooling condition.     

Improvement of the optical properties of electrodeposited CuInSe2 thin films by thermal and chemical treatments

Cu, In and Se have been codeposited in thin films by potentiostatic one-step electrodeposition. The as-deposited material has shown direct optical transitions attributable to the CuInSe₂ semiconductor, but also additional absorption corresponding to another semimetallic phase. The secondary phases are selenium and copper selenide compounds which have been determined by composition measurements. In order to eliminate the semimetallic phases and to improve the semiconductor behaviour of the electrodeposited material, thermal and chemical treatments have been performed. After heat-treatment of the samples at 400°C in flowing argon, elemental selenium loss has been detected together with an enhancement of the allowed direct optical transition. The subsequent chemical etching of the layers in a KCN solution has showed to be successful in eliminating the copper selenide phases which were responsible of the remaining sub-bandgap absorption.     

Electrochromic behavior of WO3 nanotree films prepared by hydrothermal oxidation

Hexagonal structured WO₃ films with tree-like morphology were synthesized on tungsten foils by a hydrothermal method. Each nanotree was composed of several (typically six) nanosheet-shaped “branches”. TEM examination revealed that the nanosheet was a single crystal and its long axis was oriented toward 〈0 0 1〉 direction. The WO₃ nanotree films retain the hexagonal structure after being annealed up to 400 °C for 2 h, while they have a phase transition to monoclinic structure after being annealed at 500 °C for 2 h. Electrochromic (EC) performance of the films was examined in a propylene carbonate solution of 1 M LiClO₄ using an electrochemical workstation and an UV-Vis spectrometer. Due to the large tunnels of hexagonal structure and highly porous surface morphology, a large modulation of optical reflectance of WO₃ nanotree films up to 30% and coloration efficiency of 43.6 cm² C⁻¹ at 500 nm were achieved by annealing the WO₃ nanotree films at 400 °C for 2 h.     

Thermochromic VO2 film deposited on Al with tunable thermal emissivity for space applications

Thermochromic VO₂ thin films were deposited on various substrates, namely quartz, Si, and Al, using RF reactive magnetron sputtering deposition. IR thermometry measurements reveal that the emissivity properties of the system VO₂/substrate strongly depend on the IR optical properties of the substrate. VO₂ films deposited on a highly IR reflective substrate such as Al, present an emissivity dependence on temperature that is opposite to that of VO₂ deposited on an IR transparent substrate, like quartz and Si. XPS and Raman measurements show that VO₂ undergoes a crystalline structure transition from monoclinic to tetragonal when deposited on Al, quartz, and Si. They also confirm that the transition is accompanied by a change from an insulator or semiconductor state to a metallic state. The emissivity performance of VO₂/Al as compared to that of VO₂/quartz and VO₂/Si is attributed to the higher IR reflective properties of Al in comparison to quartz and Si. The increase of emissivity with temperature makes the VO₂/Al system of strong interest as a passive smart radiator device for thermal control of spacecraft.     

Model-based decoupling control for the thermal management system of proton exchange membrane fuel cells

As one of the most promising sustainable energy technologies available today, proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) engines are becoming more and more popular in various applications, especially in transportation vehicles. However, the complexity and the severity of the vehicle operating conditions present challenges to control the temperature distribution in single cells and stack, which is an important factor influencing the performance and durability of PEMFC engines. It has been found that regulating the input and output coolant water temperature can improve the temperature distribution. Therefore, the control objective in this paper is regulating the input and output temperature of coolant water at the same time. Firstly, a coupled model of the thermal management system is established based on the physical structure of PEMFC engines. Then, in order to realize the simultaneous control of the inlet and outlet cooling water temperature of the PEMFC stack, a decoupling controller is proposed and its closed-loop stability is proved. Finally, based on the actual PEMFC engine platform, the effectiveness, accuracy and reliability of the proposed decoupling controller are tested. The experimental results show that with the proposed decoupling controller, the inlet and outlet temperatures of the PEMFC stack cooling water can be accurately controlled on-line. The temperature error range is less than 0.2 °C even under the dynamic current load conditions.     

Electrochromic Ni oxide films studied by magnetic measurements

Ni-oxide-based films were prepared by cathodic electrodeposition and, for comparison, by reactive sputtering. They were characterised by cyclic voltammetry, spectrophotometry (showing electrochromism), and infrared absorption spectroscopy. Magnetic measurements, performed at low temperatures using SQUID technology, exhibited a well-defined Curie Weiss behavior with a transition temperature that was depressed by proton extraction. These data give clear evidence that magnetic measurements can serve as a useful and versatile tool for probing the basic properties of certain electrochromic thin films.