Vanadium Dioxide Thin Films and Passive Radiative Cooling Materials
This community develops thin-film materials that regulate heat by changing their optical properties in response to temperature, or by reflecting infrared radiation to the atmosphere, primarily for building envelopes and thermal management systems.
The research centers on two distinct material strategies. The first involves vanadium dioxide (VO2) and vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) thin films, utilizing the metal-insulator transition to create thermochromic smart windows that dynamically adjust solar heat gain. The second involves passive daytime radiative cooling materials, including polymers, aerogels, and coatings designed to emit heat to the cold sky without energy input. Common fabrication methods include magnetron sputtering and hydrothermal synthesis. Applications span building thermal regulation, personal thermal management, and electronic device cooling.
The largest share of the community's output is found in vanadium research, accounting for 7.9% of all vanadium research tracked, with 8,484 papers in this group. Lithium and titanium research also contribute significantly, representing 0.6% and 0.3% of their respective element research totals.
The community comprises 13,996 papers, with the highest publication volumes in Applied Physics Letters, Journal of Applied Physics, and Thin Solid Films.
Recent work continues to focus on enhancing the durability and scalability of radiative cooling coatings for buildings and vehicles, as well as developing dynamic, temperature-adaptive regulators using VO2-based architectures for all-season thermal management.