Development of high-performance Mo doped WO3 photo-electrochromic devices

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a growing focus on reducing energy consumption, particularly in buildings. One effective method proposed by scientists is the use of intelligent photoelectric color-changing glass. While previous studies in this field have mainly concentrated on the rapid chromic performance, this study aims to enhance the shading rate by developing a photo-electrochromic bright window using the Mo doped WO3 sol-gel method. The study investigates the impact of different levels of MoO3 doping on the photo-electrochromic performance. The results demonstrate that increasing the MoO3 content leads to a wider coloring range and faster color change response, with transmittance values dropping below 25 % compared to the original transmittance of approximately 80 %. Particularly, there is a significant 55 % (ΔTC) change in transmittance for coloration at the wavelength of 550 nm, which is the most responsive to the human eye, compared to previous research. Furthermore, the smart windows exhibit stable switching for transmittance modulation, maintaining consistency over 20 repeated coloration and bleaching cycles. Overall, the photo-electrochromic film prepared using the doped sol-gel method exhibits excellent performance in terms of high-quality photo-electrochromic layers, short response time, high coloration efficiency, and long service life. This research shows the potential of smart windows in various applications, including energy-saving, smart displays, supercapacitor devices, and anti-counterfeiting.