Research by UC Riverside scientists have found that the optical transparency of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) films coated with a layer of an ionic liquid (IL) can be dramatically increased or decreased depending on the sign of the applied electrical potential. The change of transparency can be uniform across the SWNT thin film and utilized for large area electrochromic smart windows for energy efficient buildings and vehicles. The modulation of transparency can also be configured in a form of a designed pattern thereby allowing SWNT film to display electrically configurable optical information. The research article describing this finding appeared in April 21, 2013 online release of Nature Photonics and is authored by UCR scientists Feihu Wang (first author), Mikhail Itkis, Elena Bekyarova and Robert Haddon, representing work from the Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering, Departments of Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy, and Chemical and Environmental Engineering at UC Riverside.
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