Investigation on the Behavior of Noise in Asynchronous Spectra in Generalized Two-Dimensional (2D) Correlation Spectroscopy and Application of Butterworth Filter in the Improvement of Signal-to-Noise Ratio of 2D Asynchronous Spectra

The behavior of noise in asynchronous spectrum in generalized two-dimensional (2D) correlation spectroscopy is investigated. Mathematical analysis on the noise of 2D spectra and computer simulation on a model system show that the fluctuation of noise in a 2D asynchronous spectrum can be characterized by the standard deviation of noise in 1D spectra. Furthermore, a new approach to improve a signal-to-noise ratio of 2D asynchronous spectrum by a Butterworth filter is developed. A strategy to determine the optimal conditions is proposed. Computer simulation on a model system indicates that the noise of 2D asynchronous spectrum can be significantly suppressed using the Butterworth filtering. In addition, we have tested the approach to a real chemical system where interaction between berberine and β-cyclodextrin is investigated using 2D UV–vis asynchronous spectra. When artificial noise is added, cross peaks that reflect intermolecular interaction between berberine and β-cyclodextrin are completely masked by noise. After the method described in this article is utilized, noise is effectively suppressed, and cross peaks are faithfully recovered. The above result demonstrates that the approach described in this article is applicable in real chemical systems

High Performance and Enhanced Durability of Thermochromic Films Using VO₂@ZnO Core–Shell Nanoparticles

For VO₂-based thermochromic smart windows, high luminous transmittance (<i>T</i>_lum) and solar regulation efficiency (Δ<i>T</i>_sol) are usually pursued as the most critical issues, which have been discussed in numerous researches. However, environmental durability, which has rarely been considered, is also so vital for practical application because it determines lifetime and cycle times of smart windows. In this paper, we report novel VO₂@ZnO core–shell nanoparticles with ultrahigh durability as well as improved thermochromic performance. The VO₂@ZnO nanoparticles-based thermochromic film exhibits a robust durability that the Δ<i>T</i>_sol keeps 77% (from 19.1% to 14.7%) after 10³ hours in a hyperthermal and humid environment, while a relevant property of uncoated VO₂ nanoparticles-based film badly deteriorates after 30 h. Meanwhile, compared with the uncoated VO₂-based film, the VO₂@ZnO-based film demonstrates an 11.0% increase (from 17.2% to 19.1%) in Δ<i>T</i>_sol and a 31.1% increase (from 38.9% to 51.0%) in <i>T</i>_lum. Such integrated thermochromic performance expresses good potential for practical application of VO₂-based smart windows