Energy-saving transparent heat mirrors based on tungsten oxide–gold WO3/Au/WO3 multilayer structures

Transparent heat mirrors are multilayer structures that transmit visible light while reflecting infrared heat. Heat mirrors based on tungsten oxide and gold multilayers WO3/Au/WO3 were fabricated by thermal evaporation, and their performance was investigated as a function of the thickness of the gold layer. First, the properties of individual layers were investigated. Atomic force microscopy revealed that all layers possessed smooth surfaces that were suitable for optical applications. The transmittance of the gold layers was found to decrease as the thickness is increased, with an opposite trend followed by infrared reflectance. In the multilayers, the thickness of the WO3 was fixed at 34 nm, whereas the thickness of the gold layers was varied in the range 20–44 nm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to investigate the elemental diffusion among the various layers, and it revealed the presence of inter-diffusion of elements throughout the layers. The performance of the heat mirrors was evaluated on the basis of their optical behavior. The optimum thickness of the gold layer was found to be 36 nm, with a peak spectral transmittance of 84%.

► Transparent heat mirrors were fabricated from WO3/Au/WO3 multilayers.
► Individual layers had smooth surfaces that are suitable for these applications.
► Optical properties of the individual layers were investigated.
► Utilization of these materials from an optical viewpoint was evaluated.
► Performance criteria were applied and the optimum gold layer thickness was selected.