Dynamic aerogel window with switchable solar transmittance and low haze

Transparent aerogel window based on silica aerogel has been investigated for achieving energy-saving buildings. However, most of the attention was paid to the effective thermal conductivity and solar transmittance of the aerogel. The research on solar transmittance control and visual experience is still lacking. In the present study, a dynamic aerogel based on V O₂/SiO₂ core–shell nanospheres is proposed to serve as an energy-saving window. The effects of particle size, outer-to-inner diameter ratio, volume fraction, and thickness on the radiative properties of aerogel windows are studied theoretically by combining the Mie theory and the Monte Carlo method. In particular, the solar control ability and haze of the dynamic aerogel are computed. The results show that a 0.25 cm thick aerogel doped with core–shell nanospheres of D/d= 2 (f_v= 0.01%) achieves solar control ability of 124.2 W/m². The solar transmittance and haze are 70% (55%) and 0.067 (0.097) for the insulating (metallic) phase. The present study provides a guideline for designing highly transparent aerogel windows with switchable solar transmittance and low haze for energy-saving buildings.