Improving the thermochromic performance of VO2 films by embedding Cu-Al nanoparticles as heterogeneous nucleation cores in the VO2/VO2 bilayer structure
{"title":"Improving the thermochromic performance of VO2 films by embedding Cu-Al nanoparticles as heterogeneous nucleation cores in the VO2/VO2 bilayer structure","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.infrared.2024.105620","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>VO<sub>2</sub>-based films show great potential applications in thermochromic smart windows. However, enhancing luminous transmittance (<em>T<sub>lum</sub></em>) while maintaining high solar modulation ability (<em>ΔT<sub>sol</sub></em>) remains a formidable challenge. Here, we present a novel VO<sub>2</sub>/Cu-Al nanoparticles (NPs)/VO<sub>2</sub> composite film structure, seamlessly integrating Cu-Al bimetallic NPs within VO<sub>2</sub> films by pulsed laser deposition on alkali-free glass substrates. The content of Cu-Al NPs in the composite films is controlled by the pulse number (<em>N<sub>p</sub></em>) applied to the Cu-Al alloy target. X-ray diffraction results indicate that the crystallinity of VO<sub>2</sub> films is significantly enhanced by the incorporation of an appropriate amount of Cu-Al NPs. The SEM characterization results revealed that the particle size of VO<sub>2</sub> composite films initially increases to approximately 131 nm and subsequently decreases to around 120 nm as <em>N<sub>p</sub></em> increases, with a concurrent transition in particle shape from quasi-circular to elongated. The <em>T<sub>lum</sub></em> and <em>ΔT<sub>sol</sub></em> of the resulting composite films were dramatically improved to 71.6 % and 9.5 %, respectively, when <em>N<sub>p</sub></em> was 300. These enhanced thermochromic properties are attributed to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of the VO<sub>2</sub> particles. This research opens up a promising avenue for the convenient production of customized high-quality VO<sub>2</sub> films tailored for smart window applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13549,"journal":{"name":"Infrared Physics & Technology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.1000,"publicationDate":"2024-11-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Infrared Physics & Technology","FirstCategoryId":"101","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1350449524005048","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"INSTRUMENTS & INSTRUMENTATION","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
VO2-based films show great potential applications in thermochromic smart windows. However, enhancing luminous transmittance (Tlum) while maintaining high solar modulation ability (ΔTsol) remains a formidable challenge. Here, we present a novel VO2/Cu-Al nanoparticles (NPs)/VO2 composite film structure, seamlessly integrating Cu-Al bimetallic NPs within VO2 films by pulsed laser deposition on alkali-free glass substrates. The content of Cu-Al NPs in the composite films is controlled by the pulse number (Np) applied to the Cu-Al alloy target. X-ray diffraction results indicate that the crystallinity of VO2 films is significantly enhanced by the incorporation of an appropriate amount of Cu-Al NPs. The SEM characterization results revealed that the particle size of VO2 composite films initially increases to approximately 131 nm and subsequently decreases to around 120 nm as Np increases, with a concurrent transition in particle shape from quasi-circular to elongated. The Tlum and ΔTsol of the resulting composite films were dramatically improved to 71.6 % and 9.5 %, respectively, when Np was 300. These enhanced thermochromic properties are attributed to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of the VO2 particles. This research opens up a promising avenue for the convenient production of customized high-quality VO2 films tailored for smart window applications.
期刊介绍:
The Journal covers the entire field of infrared physics and technology: theory, experiment, application, devices and instrumentation. Infrared'' is defined as covering the near, mid and far infrared (terahertz) regions from 0.75um (750nm) to 1mm (300GHz.) Submissions in the 300GHz to 100GHz region may be accepted at the editors discretion if their content is relevant to shorter wavelengths. Submissions must be primarily concerned with and directly relevant to this spectral region.
Its core topics can be summarized as the generation, propagation and detection, of infrared radiation; the associated optics, materials and devices; and its use in all fields of science, industry, engineering and medicine.
Infrared techniques occur in many different fields, notably spectroscopy and interferometry; material characterization and processing; atmospheric physics, astronomy and space research. Scientific aspects include lasers, quantum optics, quantum electronics, image processing and semiconductor physics. Some important applications are medical diagnostics and treatment, industrial inspection and environmental monitoring.