Electrochromic behavior of WO3 thin films prepared by GLAD.

WO 3 thin films fabricated by glancing angle deposition (GLAD) are proposed as excellent electrochromic coatings with favorable ion diffusion. A ∼ 500-nm film prepared by GLAD had a relatively large transmittance modulation. The crystallization structure, surface morphology, chemical state, optical and electrochromic properties of WO 3 thin films were systematically characterized upon annealing treatment. Compared with annealed WO 3 porous nanostructured films, the amorphous as-deposited films exhibited a high coloration efficiency and stable reversibility. Furthermore, the GLAD WO 3 films exhibit the tunable angular selectivity under illumination with p-polarized light because of the birefringence, which could extend the application range of nanostructured films in the electrochromic field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]