We herein present a simple, fast, low-temperature, post-glass melting fabrication protocol in which a photochromic silver cation based modified zone is incorporated within silver metaphosphate glass (AgPO₃). The selection of AgPO₃ glass is mainly based on its relative “soft” nature (T_g = 192 ℃) that enables the integration of silver cations from the surface deposited AgCl layer, while being transparent in most of the visible range, and therefore suitable for smart photochromic window applications. The suggested synthesis procedure permits the controlled formation of a silver cation modified layer within the host glass matrix, while the characteristics of the layer itself can be adjusted correspondingly. Our findings reveal a direct relationship between the developed composite AgCl–AgPO₃ glass photochromic response and the morphological features of the integrated layer, i.e., thickness and position. More importantly, the photochromic response time with various UV irradiation doses is also studied, where remarkable response times of several seconds are obtained. Processes and efforts to further enhance the photochromic performance by utilizing the presence of silver nanoparticles within the glass matrix are also presented and discussed.

Highly-sensitive and stable ozone and hydrogen sensing elements were fabricated based on well-crystalline rounded cube-shaped CsPbBr₃ microcrystals, synthesized by a facile solution process performed under ambient conditions. It is shown that such elements demonstrate enhanced room temperature gas sensing ability compared to the previously reported metal halide and oxide-based ones. Electrical measurements performed on these sensing components revealed high sensitivity to ultra-low ozone and hydrogen concentrations, namely 4 ppb and 1 ppm respectively, as well as a remarkable repeatability, even after a few months of storage in ambient conditions. Both ozone and hydrogen sensors were self-activated, as they did not require the use of UV or heating external stimuli to operate, and exhibited fast detection and short restoration times. All such attractive properties along with the simple fabrication process could provide an easy, efficient and low-cost technology for the realization of future gas sensing devices.