Influence of Na diffusion on thermochromism of vanadium oxide films and suppression through mixed-alkali effect

Vanadium(IV) oxide possesses a reversible first-order phase transformation near 68 °C. Potential applications of the material include advanced optical devices and thermochromic smart windows. In this study, vanadium oxide films were grown on three types of glass substrates using reactive DC magnetron sputtering and were then annealed in air. The substrates were characterized with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and the films were characterized with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometry. The results show that the composition of the substrate has a major impact on the microstructure and optical properties of the deposited films. Sodium (Na) in the glass can undesirably inhibit thermochromism; however, replacing half of the Na with potassium (K) suppresses the Na diffusion and promotes the nucleation of pure VO2 with superior thermochromic functionality. The improved performance is attributed to the mixed-alkali effect between Na and K. These findings are both scientifically and technologically important since soda (Na2O) is an essential flux material in glass products such as windows.