TiN-based organic-inorganic composite films with dual functions of solar control and low-emission for energy-saving coatings

Abstract

With the fast development of modern intelligent buildings, the demand for a comfortable environment and ‘low carbon’ technologies, for example, energy-saving buildings, becomes more intense. Thermal insulation coatings as one of the most promising routes to alleviate the energy consumption of buildings attract extensive attention in recent years. In this work, titanium nitride-based organic-inorganic composite films (TiN O/I films) were introduced as the thermal insulation coatings to window glass via blade coating method. Additionally, two different synthesis methods were adopted to prepare the inorganic TiN nanoparticle and its effect on the optical property of the coatings was studied detailedly via the ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared (UV–vis-IR) spectrophotometer and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer characterizations. In addition, the thermal insulation properties of the films were characterized by a system that simulates the natural environment. Various characterizations show that the synthesized TiN O/I films can not only pass through the visible light but also has high reflectance at the mid-infrared range, that is with the functions of solar control and low emission, well satisfying the requirements of the energy-saving coatings for window glass. These results demonstrated the good feasibility of TiN O/I films in thermal insulation coatings, and also provide a direction for the development of more novel thermal insulation materials with large-scale.