Layer-by-layer self-assembled vanadium dioxide and its temperature-dependent light interference

• Published in: Chemical engineering journal (Lausanne, Switzerland : 1996) Vol. 431; p. 133978
• Main Authors: Hu, Hebing, Meng, Yun, Wang, Jiarui, Wang, Shancheng, Vu, Tuan Duc, Long, Yi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.03.2022
• Subjects: Energy-saving smart windows; Layer-by-layer assembly; Superstructure; Temperature-dependent interference; Vanadium dioxide; Temperature-dependent interference; Layer-by-layer assembly; Energy-saving smart windows; Vanadium dioxide; Superstructure
• ISSN: 1385-8947; 1873-3212
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2021.133978

•The first VO2/spacing superstructure with controlled VO2 layers, spacing thicknesses, and repeating times.•The mechanism is demonstrated clearly by experiment and simulation.•The simulation indicates that the unique temperature-dependent light interference enhances the performance of the device.•The versatile approach allows fabricating the controlled optical stack for other applications. Vanadium Dioxide (VO2) has gained wide attention for various applications as it undergoes a crystallographic transition from the monoclinic phase to the tetragonal phase at 68 °C, accompanied by huge transmittance contrast in the near-infrared (NIR) range and negligible change in the visible range. In this paper, we present a unique Layer-by-Layer self-assembled approach to construct a VO2/spacing superstructure with controlled VO2 layers, spacing thicknesses, and repeating times. The simulation indicates that such structures give intriguingly temperature-dependent light interference phenomena, which was demonstrated its potential applications in smart windows and the calculated results suggest this approach outperforms existing approaches. This simple and versatile solution-based approach opens a new avenue to fabricate the controlled optical stack which could be explored in other applications.