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Cu-Doped and Un-Doped WO3 Photochromic Thin Films

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Abstract

In this work, 0%, 0.5%, 1%, and 2% Cu-doped WO3 nanoparticles were synthesized via a polyol method. The as-synthesized materials were characterized by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and UV-Vis photochromic activity. A bond valence model was adopted to explain the relationship between the lattice parameter and Cu percentage. Additionally, two films (1% Cu-doped and un-doped samples) obtained by dip-coating from a well-dispersed suspension were optically investigated using ex situ and in situ UV-Vis spectrometry; coloring/bleaching kinetics were thoroughly studied. The Cu-doped WO3 film was found to have a high-quality bleaching mechanism (five times as fas as the un-doped WO3 film). Finally, the high bleaching performance of the doped films was confirmed by successive cycling, showing that the as-prepared compounds are of great interest for smart window applications, for example.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the support from the LIGHT S&T Graduate Program (PIA3 Investment for the Future Program, ANR-17-EURE-0027)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CNRS, Institut de Chimie de La Matière Condensée de Bordeaux, UMR 5026, University Bordeaux, 33600, Pessac, France

    Yazan Badour, Sylvain Danto, Christine Labrugère, Matthieu Duttine & Manuel Gaudon

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  1. Yazan Badour
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  2. Sylvain Danto
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  3. Christine Labrugère
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  4. Matthieu Duttine
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  5. Manuel Gaudon
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Correspondence to Manuel Gaudon.

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Badour, Y., Danto, S., Labrugère, C. et al. Cu-Doped and Un-Doped WO3 Photochromic Thin Films. J. Electron. Mater. 51, 1555–1567 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-021-09389-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-021-09389-3

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