Heat that either escapes or enters windows accounts for roughly 30% of the energy used to heat and cool buildings, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Besides harvesting the solar energy with photovoltaic panels, switchable window glass holds great potential toward net zero-energy buildings.[1] Transparent conducting materials play an important role in energy saving and harvesting, as they are widely used as the transparent electrodes for both solar cells and electrochromic windows.

Here we fabricated transparent conducting oxides (TCO) thin films via magnetron sputtering process, and investigated their physical properties in detail. We found a strong correlation between the properties and the carrier concentration of the thin films. Based on the optical properties, electrical properties, and thermal properties of TCO thin films,[2] we propose TCO could play a bigger role in smart energy devices.

References 

[1] S.W. Tong, W.P. Goh, X.H. Huang, C.Y. Jiang, Renewable Sustainable Energy Rev. 2021, 152, 111615.

[2] X.Z. Wang, X.H. Huang, Z.M. Wong, et al, ACS Appl. Nano Mater. 2022, 5, 8631-8639.