Abstract
VO2 films are widely considered as one of the most suitable material to act as smart windows. Although this system is able to function, the durability of the film has been an issue as the surface of the films may oxidize by converting V4+ to V5+. To overcome this problem, attempt is made to coat the VO2 film with ZnO, which can assist by creating a resistance layer to prevent further oxidation of VO2. Here, VO2/ZnO bilayer film was prepared by a facile method comprised of spin-coating and dip-coating process and shows excellent durability, and in particular. the solar modulation efficiency (△Tsol) maintaining ca 89.9% (from 17.8% to 16.0%) after 300 days in a humid environment, however, the △Tsol of pure VO2 film is decreased from 11.8% to 4.1%. Also, the VO2/ZnO bilayer exhibits an enhanced thermochromic property of visible transmittance (Tlum = 55.7 ± 2.1%) and △Tsol (17.1 ± 1.4%) which is 1.49 times higher than that of pure VO2 film (△Tsol = 11.5 ± 0.4%). The enhancement in the thermochromic performance and durability is probably attributed to the anti-reflection and protection of ZnO layer. Therefore, this work can provide an effective way to optimize thermochromic property for practical application of VO2-based smart windows.
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