Solvatochromic, solvent-assisted deformable, and self-reinforcing smart windows enabled by molecular reconfiguration

Abstract

Smart materials in which transparency can be dynamically controlled have broad prospects in smart window applications. This study reports solvatochromic optical hybrid plastics designed using a carboxylated poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMAA)/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) molecular configuration for the development of self-reinforcing smart windows. The reversible transparency of this transparent plastic is 87.54 % (at 550 nm), which can be reduced to 1.69 % after water-assisted treatment and restored to 86.45 % after ethanol treatment, reversibly. Moreover, the toughness of PMMA/PMAA = 1:2 film is 0.59 ± 0.06 MJ m−3, 73.50 % higher than that of pure PMMA. The films also exhibit the capability of ethanol-assisted arbitrary deformation. This study offers a novel perspective on fabricating PMMA-based materials and their application in smart windows.