raw · papers · ingested 2026-07-02
Highly Transparent PCM Smart Windows via Refractive-Index-Matched n-Octadecane@SiO2 Microcapsules (Nanomaterials 2026)
confidence: medium
Source: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/16/11/648
Source: Nanomaterials (MDPI) 2026, 16(11):648 (snippet-level; MDPI full text 403). Credibility: Peer-reviewed, recent; numbers from abstract/snippet → confidence medium.
Key points
- n-Octadecane (C18 paraffin) in a refractive-index-stable SiO2 shell stays index-matched across the phase transition — the shell buffers the paraffin’s own index swing.
- Mie scattering is the dominant loss channel; keeping capsules submicron suppresses it.
- ~83.75% VLT at 550 nm, only 0.35% attenuation after 100 cycles.
- Design rule: encapsulant refractive index must match the PCM or switchable transmittance is lost.
- Complements the hydrogel and polymer-matrix routes: here clarity comes from an index-matched shell + sub-Mie particle size.