DEVELOPMENT OF ADVANCED WINDOW MATERIALS BASED ON CONDUCTING POLYMER/SOL-GEL CERAMIC COMPOSITES

THE PLANNED RESEARCH CONCERNS THE DEVELOPMENT OF CONDUCTING POLYMER/SOL-GEL CERAMIC COMPOSITES AS DURABLE ELECTROCHROMIC COATINGS FOR ENERGY-CONSERVING APPLICATIONS SUCH AS DAY LIGHTING AND THERMAL CONTROL. CONDUCTING POLYMERS PROVIDE AN ATTRACTIVE OPPORTUNITY FOR FABRICATING SMART WINDOWS BECAUSE OF THE INTERESTING ELECTROCHROMIC PHENOMENA ASSOCIATED WITH THE REDOX (DOPING) PROCESSES OF THESE POLYMERS. THE COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS OF THESE MATERIALS AS ELECTROCHROMIC COATINGS, HOWEVER, ARE, AT PRESENT, LIMITED BY THE POOR CYCLE LIFETIMES AND POOR PROCESSIBILITY OF POLYMER COATINGS. PHASE I WILL INVESTIGATE THE NOVEL COMPOSITE MATERIALS INCORPORATING CONDUCTING POLYMERS AND TRANSPARENT SOL-GEL GLASS FOR IMPROVING MECHANICAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF ELECTROCHROMIC COATINGS TO BE USED TO FABRICATE ADVANCED SMART WINDOW MATERIALS AND SYSTEMS. THE UTILIZATION OF SOL-GEL REACTION SOLUTION AS CARRIER MEDIUM PROVIDES A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO PREPARE ELECTROCHROMIC COATINGS FROM CONDUCTING POLYMERS WHICH COMMONLY SUFFER FROM POOR PROCESSIBILITY. THEORETICAL QUANTUM CHEMICAL MODELING STUDIES WILL BE CARRIED OUT IN ORDER TO ENHANCE THE UNDERSTANDING OF CORRELATION BETWEEN ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE OF THE CONJUGATED POLYMERS AND THE ELECTRO-OPTICAL PROPERTIES EXHIBITED BY THEM.