Hydrothermal growth of VO2 nanoplate thermochromic films on glass with high visible transmittance

Abstract The preparation of thermochromic vanadium dioxide (VO 2 ) films in an economical way is of interest to realizing the application of smart windows. Here, we reported a successful preparation of self-assembly VO 2 nanoplate films on TiO 2 -buffered glass by a facile hydrothermal process. The VO 2 films composed of triangle-shaped plates standing on substrates exhibit a self-generated porous structure, which favors the transmission of solar light. The porosity of films is easily controlled by changing the concentration of precursor solutions. Excellent thermochromic properties are observed with visible light transmittance as high as 70.3% and solar modulating efficiency up to 9.3% in a VO 2 film with porosity of ~35.9%. This work demonstrates a promising technique to promote the commercial utilization of VO 2 in smart windows.