Electrochromic properties of nanostructured tungsten oxide films prepared by surfactant-assisted sol–gel process

Pristine and surfactant F-127 added tungsten oxide films have been prepared successfully by sol–gel method using PTA as the precursor sol. After annealing at 300 °C, amorphous WO3 films with or without F-127 additions were prepared. The F-127-added tungsten oxide films exhibit porous microstructure, which are affected by the amount of F-127 addition. Nanosized microstructure with pore size less than 10 nm can be observed with small amount of F-127 addition (less than 0.06 g/ml) , where as larger spherical or tubular pores are found with superfluous F-127 addition (higher than 0.08 g/ml). Not only the transmittance modulation but also the coloration efficiency can be improved by adding surfactant F-127. Tungsten oxide film with 0.10 g/ml F-127 addition exhibits the best electrochromic performance with a transmittance modulation of 67.6% and a coloration efficiency of 38.3 cm2 C− 1.

► Surfactant-assisted WO3 films have been prepared by sol–gel method.
► Increasing the surfactant amount induced different kinds of nanostructured WO3 film.
► The pore size can be varied from 10 nm to 60 nm.
► The electrochromic properties of WO3 can be improved by adding surfactant F-127.