Issue 2, 2024

IR regulation through preferential placement of h-BN nanosheets in a polymer network liquid crystal

Abstract

Recently, there has been a great deal of interest in devices which effectively shield near-infrared light with an additional feature of external field tunability, particularly for energy-saving applications. This article demonstrates an approach for fabricating a highly efficient near-infrared regulating device based on a polymer network liquid crystal reinforced with nanosheets of hexagonal-boron nitride (BN). The device achieves ∼84% IR scattering capability over a wavelength range of 800–2300 nm, and can also be regulated by an electric field. Interestingly, the observed high IR regulation is despite individual components of the composite being IR transparent, in stark contrast to earlier attempted incorporation of IR-absorbing/scattering particles. Detailed experimental characterization methods including FESEM corroborated with EDS and Raman spectroscopy suggest that the preferential positioning of the BN nanosheets, a consequence of the photo-polymerization process, is responsible for the observed feature. The IR reflectivity/back scattering that is doubled upon incorporation of the nanosheets results in an enhanced convective/radiative heat barrier capability, as evidenced by thermal imaging and significant (2 °C) reduction in ambient temperature upon one-Sun illumination. Numerical simulation results are also found to be in good agreement with the observed enhanced reflectance values for the BN-incorporated case. The presence of BN augments the mechanical rigidity of the system by a factor of 6.8 without compromising on the device operating voltage. The protocol employed is quite general and thus advantageous with far-reaching applications in passive cooling of buildings and structures, in thermal camouflaging, and in overall energy management.

Graphical abstract: IR regulation through preferential placement of h-BN nanosheets in a polymer network liquid crystal

  • This article is part of the themed collection: #MyFirstMH

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
12 sep. 2023
Accepted
02 nov. 2023
First published
09 nov. 2023

Mater. Horiz., 2024,11, 554-565

IR regulation through preferential placement of h-BN nanosheets in a polymer network liquid crystal

G. R. Pisharody, P. Sahoo, D. S. Shankar Rao, H. S. S. Ramakrishna Matte, D. Sikdar and S. Krishna Prasad, Mater. Horiz., 2024, 11, 554 DOI: 10.1039/D3MH01467C

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