Recently, Associate Professor CHEN Chao of the School of Materials of our university has made new progress in the research field of laser processing of all-solid-state magnetic control waterproof intelligent window. Related research results "Ultra - durable omni - liquid - repellent smart window as a high – performance wettability/transparency manipulator enabled via laser-writing magnetism-actuatedmicro-shutters" in the engineering class international famous academic journal Advanced Functional Materials (Adv. Funct. Mater. 2023,10.1002 /adfm.202308314). Associate Professor CHEN Chao is the first/corresponding author of the paper, master student YAO Hao is the second author of the paper, and Associate Professor ZHANG Chenchu from the Institute of Industrial and Equipment Technology is the co-corresponding author.
Building cooling/heating energy consumption accounts for about 30-40% of the world's total energy consumption. The development of multi-mode green dimming and temperature control technology has important application value in energy-saving buildings, smart skylights, privacy protection and other fields. As a key component of building dimming and heat regulation, smart Windows can effectively manipulate interface optics (including reflectivity, emissivity and transmittance), and traditional smart Windows can achieve reversible conversion of optical transmittance under external stimuli such as electricity, PH, temperature and stress. However, due to the lack of surface interface micro-nano topology design, these devices are not suitable for extreme conditions (such as rainy, ice covered). In addition, most of the current smart Windows have problems such as high energy consumption, poor service stability and slow dimming response rate. Developing and designing a waterproof intelligent window with no energy consumption, good service stability and fast dimming rate is still one of the important issues at present.
（Research and development of magnetic control dual-mode waterproof intelligent window）
In response to the above challenges, CHEN Chao, associate professor of the School of Materials, developed a dual-mode magnetic control waterproof intelligent window with no energy consumption, high sensitivity and ultra-stability by using ultra-fast laser programmed scanning technology and soft lithography composite shape control process. Under the remote control of a magnetic field, the device can achieve rapid switching of optical properties and surface fluid dynamics, with a dimming response of <0.03 seconds, and a sensitivity improvement of 2 orders of magnitude over conventional devices (Figure 1). The team verified its excellent stability against water erosion (>5000cycles) and deformation reconstruction (>500cycles). Finally, the team demonstrated the potential applications of the device in automotive safe driving, building thermal management, encryption and decryption, and privacy screens.
（The superslippery properties of non-wetting rainwater and its potential applications in safe driving）
With funding from the Talent Start-up Fund of HETECH and the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Associate Professor CHEN Chao has published 8 SCI indexed papers in top journals such as Adv. Funct. Mater. Appl. Phys. Lett. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces and Nanoscalein the past two years as the first/corresponding author. In the field of academic research, it has provided certain support for the professional construction and development of materials physics and new energy materials and devices of our university.
