Journal of Inorganic Materials ›› 2021, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (10): 1013-1021.DOI: 10.15541/jim20210070

Special Issue: 【虚拟专辑】电致变色与热致变色材料

• REVIEW •     Next Articles

VO2 Thermochromic Smart Window: Status, Challenges and Prospects

XU Fang1,2(), JIN Pingshi1, LUO Hongjie3, CAO Xun1,2()   

  1. 1. State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050, China
    2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
    3. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
  • Received:2021-02-03 Revised:2021-03-08 Published:2021-10-20 Online:2021-04-05
  • Contact: CAO Xun, professor. E-mail: cxun@mail.sic.ac.cn
  • About author:XU Fang(1993-), female, PhD candidate. E-mail: xufang@student.sic.ac.cn
  • Supported by:
    National Natural Science Foundation of China(51572284);National Natural Science Foundation of China(51972328);National Natural Science Foundation of China(51903244);Youth Innovation Promotion Association, Chinese Academy of Sciences(2018288);Science Foundation for Youth Scholar of State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructures(SKL201703);Shanghai Pujiang Program(18PJD051);Key Research and Development Plan of Anhui Province(1804a09020061)

Abstract:

Vanadium dioxide (VO2), as a transition metal oxide, has thermochromic property, which undergoes metal to insulator transition (MIT) in response to external temperature changes, and is accompanied by numerous changes in physical property. It has attracted widespread attention in the field of smart windows. In recent years, research on the preparation method of VO2, the phase change mechanism, and the improvement of optical performance are quite rich. However, practical applications still face technical bottlenecks and challenges such as higher intrinsic transition temperature (Tc), lower luminous transmittance (Tlum), insufficient solar modulation ability (ΔTsol), nonideal metastability and durability, and uncomfortable color for human eyes (brownish yellow). At present, there are many researches related to the improvement of the performance of VO2 itself owing to its insufficient optical property, and general methods for improving its performance such as elements doping, multilayer film structure design, and microstructure design have been widely adopted. This review summarizes the general performance improvement strategies of VO2 film, and highlights the latest research progress of VO2-based smart window service performance, low-temperature flexible preparation and color modulation in practical applications. Future development trends are also discussed in terms of skin comfort and environmental friendliness.

Key words: vanadium dioxide, thermochromic, smart window, challenges, review

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