Environmental durability of soft low-e coatings: A review

Energy-efficient windows are a significant breakthrough for buildings and vehicles because they effectively minimize energy loss through these openings. These windows feature specialized coatings that redirect heat back into the interior space, thereby lowering the need for heating, while simultaneously deflecting external heat which reduces the demand for air conditioning. These applications include window tints that are regularly employed in automotive windows and low emissivity coatings. Brief concept of these applications as well as a detailed review on the sputtered coating designs, materials and optical properties are reviewed in this manuscript. The challenges of these coatings upon direct contact with the atmosphere are also discussed with current approaches to overcome those.