Thermochromic multilayer films of VO2 and TiO2 with enhanced transmittance

Abstract
Thermochromic films of VO2, as well as multilayer films of VO2 and TiO2, were made by reactive DC magnetron sputtering. Spectrophotometrically measured transmittance and reflectance were used to determine optical constants pertinent to temperatures below and above a temperature-induced structural change at τc≈60 °C. We then used computations to optimize multilayer films for specific applications and, specifically, demonstrated that TiO2/VO2/TiO2 films could display a luminous transmittance significantly higher than that of bare VO2 films, and that TiO2/VO2/TiO2/VO2/TiO2 films could yield a large change of solar transmittance for temperatures above and below τc. Our data can serve as starting points for developing novel coatings for windows with superior energy efficiency.
Description
Full text can be accessed at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0927024809001184
Keywords
Thin film, Thermochromism, Vanadium dioxide, Energy efficiency
Citation
Mlyuka, N.R., Niklasson, G.A. and Granqvist, C.G., 2009. Thermochromic multilayer films of VO 2 and TiO 2 with enhanced transmittance. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 93(9), pp.1685-1687.