Abstract
Vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) thin films were grown on indium tin oxide-coated flexible Kapton substrates by homebuilt activated reactive evaporation technique. Film depositions were carried out at optimised oxygen partial pressure of 1 × 10 �3 Torr and plasma power of 8 W, and we investigated their microstructural and optoelectrochromic properties as a function of substrate temperature. The V2O5 films grown at Ts = 473 K exhibited a nano-crystalline nature as evidenced from X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy and Raman studies. The nanocrystalline films composed of vertical elliptical-shaped grainy morphology demonstrated a high optical transmittance of 75% with an estimated optical bandgap of 2.38 eV. The dry lithiated nano-crystalline V2O5 films demonstrated an optical modulation of 36.1% with a coloration efficiency value of 26.2 cm 2 /C at a wavelength of 550 nm. As-deposited nano-crystalline V2O5 thin films demonstrated a constant discharge capacity of about 60 μAh cm �2 μm �1 for a few cycles at room temperature in the potential window of 4.0 to 2.5 V.
Highlights
Around the globe, utilisation of ‘electrical energy’ has been increasing substantially and has become an inevitable source to fulfil the metropolitan human life needs, ever expanding industrialization and corporate companies' requirements [1,2]
The microstructural characterizations were carried out using a computerised X-ray diffractometer (XRD) using CuKα1 radiation (λ = 0.15406 nm), scanning electron microscope (SEM) (EVO MA 15, Carl Zeiss Inc., Oberkochen, Germany) and atomic force microscope (AFM) (Dimension 3100 series, Digital Instruments, Tonawanda, NY, USA), and Raman spectroscopy measurements were performed at room temperature with Jobin Yvon U1000 double monochromator (HORIBA Ltd., Kyoto, Japan) using a 514.5-nm line of Argon (Spectra-Physics, Santa Clara, CA, USA) laser at a power density of 0.4 W/cm2
The estimated room temperature conductivity of as-sintered V2O5 powder was in the order of 3.45 × 10−4 Ω −1 cm−1, which is nearly equal to the conductivity value of single-crystal V2O5 (3.52 × 10−4 Ω−1 cm−1)
Summary
Utilisation of ‘electrical energy’ has been increasing substantially and has become an inevitable source to fulfil the metropolitan human life needs, ever expanding industrialization and corporate companies' requirements [1,2]. It is noteworthy to mention that the major consumers of energy in an advanced society are the air-conditioning systems and utilisation of light energy even during daytime to maintain room atmospheric conditions in a comfortable state In this regard, ‛renewable energy’ researcher's community has been striving for the best alternatives to reduce the consumption of ‘electrical energy’ and triggered their research towards electrochromic window technology. In the current science and technology, the designing and fabrication of thin-film coatings on flexible substrates have grown worldwide into a major challenging and novel research area for cutting-edge future-based technologies These flexible substrates are unique than solid glass substrates due to the following reasons: they are flexible, so they can bend and stick to any curved shape object without altering their basic properties, weigh less, are easy to carry and dimensionally stable, resistant towards moisture and oxygen, and thermally stable, tough and chemically resistant [13]. We made an attempt to study electrochemical properties for as-deposited nano-crystalline V2O5 films
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