Effect of precursor solution stirring time on the electrochromic performance of tungsten oxide films

ABSTRACT

Tungsten oxide (WO₃) is an n-type semiconductor with a wide range of transparent electronic applications such as smart windows, rear-view displays and gas sensors. In this work, WO₃ films were prepared on tin doped indium oxide (ITO) coated glasses by utilising the sol–gel spin-coating method. The effect of WO₃ precursor solution stirring time (3, 10 and 24 h) on the electrochromic (EC) properties of WO₃ films was investigated. The optical transmittance of the WO₃ films in the visible range decreased as precursor stirring time was increased. The WO₃ films subjected to 3 and 10 h of stirring had a large optical modulation compared to the WO₃ films subjected to 24 h of stirring. CV results showed higher coloration current in WO₃ films subjected to 3 h stirring which is an indication of faster intercalation kinetics. Moreover, it had fast switching time and high coloration efficiency of 34.8 cm² C^–1.

KEYWORDS:

• Tungsten oxide
• WO₃
• sol–gel spin-coating
• electrochromic
• stirring time

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Kah-Yoong Chan http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1076-5034

Additional information

Funding

This research work was funded by Telekom Research & Development (TM R&D) Sdn. Bhd., project ID: MMUE/170011. We would like to thank TM R&D for financially supporting this research work.