Recent progress in sol-gel derived electrochromic devices

The future energy saving requirements placed on modern buildings will requi re that windows will have to meet higher standards, including: being able t o reduce heat-loss while avoiding overheating of the building and gaining s olar energy while assuring comfortable daylighting. These conflicting deman ds can be satisfied by using switchable or "smart" windows, the optical pro perties (transmittance and reflectance), of which can be varied between low and high transmitting states. This could be done either manually or automa tically by the building's own energy management system. We report our progr ess towards making electrochromic devices for switchable "smart" window app lications. The future development of the next generation of switchable wind ows is addressed.