Buildings account for 40% of global energy consumption, while windows are the least energy-efficient part of buildings. Conventional smart windows only regulate solar transmission. For the first time, we developed high thermal energy storage thermo-responsive smart window (HTEST smart window) by trapping the hydrogel-derived liquid within glasses. The excellent thermo-responsive optical property (90% of luminous transmittance and 68.1% solar modulation) together with outstanding specific heat capacity of liquid gives the HTEST smart window excellent energy conservation performance. Simulations suggested that HTEST window can cut off 44.6% heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) energy consumption compared with the normal glass in Singapore. In outdoor demonstrations, the HTEST smart window showed promising energy-saving performance in summer daytime. Compared with conventional energy-saving glasses, which need expensive equipment, the thermo-responsive liquid-trapped structure offers a disruptive strategy of easy fabrication, good uniformity, and scalability, together with soundproof functionality that opens an avenue for energy-saving buildings and greenhouses.

建筑物占全球能耗的40％，而窗户是建筑物中能耗最低的部分。常规的智能窗户仅调节太阳能的传输。我们首次通过将水凝胶衍生的液体捕获在玻璃杯中，开发出了高热能存储的热响应智能窗户（HTEST智能窗户）。出色的热响应光学特性（90％的透光率和68.1％的日光调制率）以及出色的液体比热容使HTEST智能窗具有出色的节能性能。模拟表明，与新加坡的普通玻璃相比，HTEST窗户可以减少44.6％的采暖，通风和空调（HVAC）能耗。在户外示范中 HTEST智能窗在夏季白天显示出令人鼓舞的节能性能。与需要昂贵设备的传统节能玻璃相比，这种热响应液体陷获结构提供了一种易于制造，良好均匀性和可扩展性的破坏性策略，同时具有隔音功能，为节能建筑和温室开辟了道路。