Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
pane according to Fig. 11.9. Additional coatings may be used to improve
the performance, such as a low-emittance coating on the innermost glass
surface in order to prevent excessive thermal radiation into the building
when the thermochromic foil is absorbing (not shown). A low-emittance
coating on the outermost glass surface, as indicated in Fig. 11.12, may
prevent condensation in cold climates (Smith and Granqvist, 2010).
Building skins with adjustable properties have been the architects' dream
for decades (Wigginton, 1996; Campagno, 2002). Such skins will alter the
very concept of a building into that of an entity which operates in harmony
with nature rather than as, in most cases, in stark opposition to nature and
requiring energy guzzling measures (such as air conditioning and artifi cial
lighting) to create a livable indoor environment. Electrochromic foil tech-
nology, in particular, opens new avenues towards membrane architecture
(Ishii, 1999; Koch, 2004; Fernández, 2007) and may make it possible to
create climate shells and blurred zones between indoors and outdoors. The
membranes can be based on ethylene tetrafl uoroethylene (ETFE) with
well-documented long-term durability as a building material (Robinson-
Gayle et al. , 2001; LeCuyer, 2008).
As a fi nal comment, we stress once again that a number of 'eco-effi cient'
or 'green' technologies are under intense development today (2012). They
include thin fi lm solar cells, light-emitting diodes of various types, polymer
batteries, supercapacitors, electrochromics, and others. Advances in any one
of these fi elds will be benefi cial for the others, and this healthy co-evolution
will speed up the progress for all of them.
11.5 References
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spectroscopy of the metal-insulator transition in VO 2 ', Jpn J Appl Phys , 36,
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structurales, magnétiques et electriques des oxyfl uorures V 1− x M x O 2−2 x F 2 x (M = Mg,
Ni)', Phys Stat Sol A , 89, 271-282.
Allen P B, Wentzcovitch R M, Schulz W W and Canfi eld P C (1993), 'Resistivity of
the high-temperature metallic phase of VO 2 ', Phys Rev B , 48, 4359-4363.
ASTM (2003), 'G173-03 Standard Tables of Reference Solar Spectral Irradiances:
Direct Normal and Hemispherical on a 37° Tilted Surface', Annual Book of
ASTM Standards , Vol. 14.04, American Society for Testing and Materials, Phila-
delphia, PA, USA; http://rredc.nrel.gov/solar/spectra/am1.5.
Avendaño E, Azens A, Niklasson G A and Granqvist C G (2004), 'Electrochromism
in nickel oxide fi lms containing Mg, Al, Si, V, Zr, Nb, Ag, or Ta', Solar Energy
Mater Solar Cells , 84, 337-350.
Aydogdu G H, Ruzmetov D and Ramanathan S (2010), 'Metastable oxygen incor-
poration into thin fi lm NiO by low temperature active oxidation: infl uence on
hole conduction', J Appl Phys , 108, 113702.
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