NIR shielding performance and spectral selectivity of PVB interlayer films loaded with composite fillers derived from CsWO3 coupled with Au nanorods

Abstract

A novel type of near infrared (NIR) shielding filler was prepared by mixing gold nanorods (Au_NR) with the precursors used for the solvothermal synthesis of cesium tungstate (CsWO₃). The synthesized product (CsWO₃@Au_NR) had a lower NIR transmittance (T_NIR) value than neat CsWO₃. The spectral selectivity (T_Vis/T_NIR) of the extruded PVB film compounded with CsWO₃@Au_NR was also greater than that loaded with neat CsWO₃ particles. The glass/PVB/glass laminate, containing PVB loaded with 0.1 wt% CsWO₃@Au_NR, provided impressive heat shielding performance. Specifically, the temperature inside the model house installed with the above laminate dropped by 9 °C while a visible light transmittance (T_Vis) value of approximately 70% could be maintained. The above results outperformed those of glass laminated with PVB/ATO interlayer films. The results from thermal gravimetric analysis also show that the thermal stability of PVB/(CsWO₃@Au_NR) was better than that of the PVB/ATO film. Overall, this work demonstrated that by properly balancing the concentration of (CsWO₃@Au_NR) particles, the NIR shielding ability of PVB composite films could be controlled without sacrificing optical transparency and thermal stability.