Ultra‐high Performance Thermochromic Polymers via a Solid‐solid Phase Transition Mechanism and Their Applications

Thermochromic materials are substances that change color in response to temperature variations. Today, sustainability concerns are the main drivers of thermochromic research, with smart, energy-efficient windows being one of the primary applications. While vanadium oxides and leuco dyes are traditionally the main thermochromic materials, hydrogels operating based on change of solvation have risen as some of the most promising materials due to their high optical transparency and good solar modulating abilities. In this work, a distinct mechanism for thermochromism arising from the crystalline solid to amorphous solid polymer transition, with a corresponding transition from an opaque state to a transparent state is disclosed. Both ultra-high optical transparency (T