(Press-News.org)
Thermal management is essential for reducing future heating and cooling energy consumption. Notably, the near-infrared (NIR) component of sunlight is closely associated with heat absorption. Hexagonal tungsten oxide nanorods are promising NIR-blocking electrochromic materials that change their color, transparency, and opacity upon the application of a small electric voltage. Their hexagonal tunnels, known as optically active sites, can effectively accommodate electrolyte ions and enable dynamic NIR modulation. However, maintaining the hexagonal structure requires dopants inside these tunnels for structural integrity.
Although small lithium ions can easily access the hexagonal tunnels, larger sodium ions, despite being more abundant and cost-effective, are considered as limitations due to steric hindrance from dopants inside the tunnels.
In an innovative breakthrough, a team of researchers led by Assistant Professor Sungyeon Heo, along with Mr. Janghan Na, both from Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Republic of Korea, has overcome this dopant-blocking limitation by introducing thermally removable dopants that can be easily eliminated through simple heat treatment. The study was made available online on 20 November 2025, and published in Volume 25, Issue 50 of the journal Nano Letters on 17 December 2025.
“Our strategy allows effective utilization of the hexagonal tunnels for sodium-ion insertion. Consequently, we demonstrate that low-cost sodium electrolytes can achieve large NIR modulation, comparable to that of lithium-based system. This leads to efficient heat-shielding performance without relying on expensive lithium-based systems even with an ultrathin film thickness of 150 nm,” says Dr. Heo.
The nanomaterials developed in this research have strong potential for large-scale production. All synthesis procedures are conducted within a single reactor batch, with precise control over reaction pressure and temperature. This simplicity enables scale-up production, particularly when equipped with integrated systems that automatically monitor and control reaction temperature and pressure. Moreover, since the materials are synthesized in a colloidal form, they are not limited to electrochromic applications. Colloidal nanomaterials can be readily processed into coatings, or composite systems, allowing their use in a wide range of fields beyond electrochromism.
Furthermore, this research offers a practical solution for thermal regulation under diverse climate conditions. In extremely hot regions, such as parts of Africa and the Middle East, electrochromic materials can be maintained in a continuous heat-blocking state to effectively suppress NIR transmission, which is the primary contributor to solar heat gain. In contrast, in regions with distinct seasonal variations, such as Republic of Korea, the optical state can be dynamically adjusted according to user demand and climate conditions. By selectively controlling NIR transmission, the system enables efficient thermal management throughout the year. As a result, both cooling and heating energy consumption can be significantly reduced, improving overall building energy efficiency.
Within the next 5 to 10 years, this progress could enable broader applicability of smart windows and adaptive buildings that automatically regulate heat and light. Such systems would reduce reliance on air conditioning and heating, leading to lower energy consumption while improving indoor comfort.
“Our study demonstrates material designs and processing strategies that are compatible with low-cost Earth-abundant components, such as sodium electrolyte, and scalable synthesis methods, such as single reactor batch. Ultimately, our research supports a transition toward more sustainable environment and could finally reduce energy demand in everyday life,” concludes Dr. Heo.
***
Reference
DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.5c04697
About Seoul National University of Science and Technology (SEOULTECH)
Seoul National University of Science and Technology, commonly known as 'SEOULTECH,' is a national university located in Nowon-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Founded in April 1910, around the time of the establishment of the Republic of Korea, SEOULTECH has grown into a large and comprehensive university with a campus size of 504,922 m2.
It comprises 10 undergraduate schools, 35 departments, 6 graduate schools, and has an enrollment of approximately 14,595 students.
Website: https://en.seoultech.ac.kr/
About Assistant Professor Sungyeon Heo
Dr. Sungyeon Heo is an Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Seoul National University of Science and Technology and leads the Electrochemical Energy Materials Lab (EEML). His group focuses on the development of colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals with various optical, electrical, and electrochemical properties. Based on this, the group is accelerating the development of next-generation electrochemical devices for applications in electrochromic, reflective displays, and defense technologies.
About Mr. Janghan Na
Mr. Janghan Na is a PhD candidate of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Seoul National University of Science and Technology. His research focuses on the synthesis of colloidal metal oxide nanocrystals and the engineering of electrolytes for next-generation electrochromic devices.
END
The language used to describe conflicts naturally reflects assumptions about how different forms of violence emerge and develop. “For instance, we think that 'civil wars' are the result of internal strife, and we debate whether wars should be characterized as matters of 'invasion' or 'defense.' In a similar way, experts also label conflicts to indicate important properties and to make patterns across conflicts comparable for use in systematic analysis, early warning, and ...
Highlights:
According to the American Heart Association’s 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update, heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the U.S. and stroke has moved up to the #4 spot.
Together, heart disease and stroke accounted for more than a quarter of all deaths in the U.S. in 2023, the most recent year for which data is available.
Cardiovascular diseases, including all types of heart disease and stroke, claim more lives in the U.S. each year than all forms of cancer and accidental deaths — the #2 and #3 causes of death — combined.
Embargoed until 4 a.m. CT / 5 a.m. ET Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026
DALLAS, ...
A nanostructure made of silver and an atomically thin semiconductor layer can be turned into an ultrafast switching mirror device that may function as an optical transistor – with a switching speed around 10,000 times faster than an electronic transistor. An international team of researchers led by University of Oldenburg physicist Professor Dr. Christoph Lienau describes this effect in a paper published in the current issue of Nature Nanotechnology. Ultrafast light switches offer interesting prospects for optical data processing, the researchers explain.
The team’s goal was to find a material ...
Are generative artificial intelligence systems such as ChatGPT truly creative? A research team led by Professor Karim Jerbi from the Department of Psychology at the Université de Montréal, and including AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio, also a professor at Université de Montréal, has just published the largest comparative study ever conducted on the creativity of large language models versus humans.
Published in Scientific Reports (Nature Portfolio), the findings reveal that generative AI has reached a major milestone: it can ...
Scientists from the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science and colleagues have developed a new way to fabricate three-dimensional nanoscale devices from single-crystal materials using a focused ion beam instrument. The group used this new method to carve helical-shaped devices from a topological magnet composed of cobalt, tin, and sulfur, with a chemical formula of Co₃Sn₂S₂, and found that they behave like switchable diodes, meaning that they allow electricity to flow more easily in one direction than the other.
Creating ...
Organic chemistry is packed with rules about structure and reactivity, especially when it comes to making and breaking chemical bonds. The rules governing how these bonds, which hold atoms together in molecules, form and the shapes they give molecules are often thought to be absolute, but UCLA organic chemists are pushing the boundaries of the possible.
In 2024, Neil Garg’s lab violated Bredt’s rule, a 100-year-old rule stating that molecules cannot have a carbon-carbon double bond at the “bridgehead” position (the ring junction of a bridged bicyclic molecule). Now, they’ve developed the chemistry of ...
A new global dryland assessment using long-term satellite observations reveals widespread vegetation greening over the past two decades, reversing long-held expectations of accelerating desertification. Using satellite-based productivity data, researchers quantified where greening occurred, at what speed, what forces contributed to it, and how much was driven by agricultural expansion rather than climate or CO₂ fertilization alone. The findings reshape our understanding of dryland ecosystems and highlight the strong influence of human land-use practices.
Drylands cover more than 40% of the global land surface and support over three billion people while maintaining essential ecological ...
PeroCycle, which is developing a closed carbon loop system to decarbonise foundation industries, has announced the appointments of Allan Baker, Managing Director at Société Générale, as a Non-Executive Director (NED), and Ruth Herbert, a senior leader at Essar Energy Transition, as Board Advisor.
The new appointments significantly strengthen the company’s strategic abilities, and reflect PeroCycle’s commitment to surrounding its leadership with experienced voices from across policy, finance, and industry to support long-term growth and meaningful climate impact.
The system under ...
Just as avalanches on snowy mountains start with the movement of a small quantity of snow, the ESA-led Solar Orbiter spacecraft has discovered that a solar flare is triggered by initially weak disturbances that quickly become more violent. This rapidly evolving process creates a ‘sky’ of raining plasma blobs that continue to fall even after the flare subsides.
The discovery was enabled by one of Solar Orbiter’s most detailed views of a large solar flare, observed during the spacecraft’s 30 September 2024 close approach to the Sun. It is described in a paper being published on Wednesday 21 January in Astronomy ...
January 21, 2026 – LeapSpace™, Elsevier’s research-grade, AI-assisted workspace, is now live and available to customers. Built on the world’s most comprehensive collection of scientific content, LeapSpace helps academic and corporate researchers uncover deeper insights, accelerate innovation, and collaborate seamlessly in one secure environment. It combines multi-model responsible AI with transparency and clear trust markers, industrial-grade data privacy and security, so that every insight is explainable, traceable, and ...
