Colouration of tungsten oxide films: A model for optically active coatings

Molybdenum oxide can exhibit pronounced photochromism and thus might act as an excellent photonic material for a number of technical applications. In the early stage of the research, the attention was focused mainly on the (band) structure, photochromic mechanism and the behavior of the oxide. Later, many investigations were carried out on the factors that might influence the photochromic performance. At the same time, the photochromic response has been extended from UV light to visible light. In this review, the progress in all of these areas will be reviewed thoroughly.

Photochromism of molybdenum oxide

http://cgcri.csircentral.net/815/1/815.pdf

Sol–gel electrochromic coatings and devices: A review

Introduction Aerogels offer interesting opportunities for catalysis due to their unique morphological and chemical properties. These properties originate from their wet-chemical preparation by the solution-sol-gel (SSG) method and their subsequent liberation from the solvent via critical-point drying or supercritical (or hypercritical) drying (SCD). Due to the “structure-preserving” ability of SCD, the usually oxidic (or metallic) aerogels are solids of high porosity and specific surface area.

Aerogels in catalysis

The excessive use of heating systems in cold climates and air conditioning systems in hotter climates is resulting in the extensive use of electricity in order to maintain such systems. This in turn leads to the greater use of fossil fuels and higher emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutant gases. The growing amount of carbon dioxide emissions is contributing to the problem of global warming, hence increasing the need for alternative technologies to heating and air conditioning systems. One such alternative is the production of thin films which can be used as window glazing coatings to construct ‘smart windows’. These windows have the greatest use within constant climates. In cold climates, windows with high solar transmittance and low thermal emittance are needed; this allows sunlight into the building to brighten the room but stops heat from escaping thus warming the room. In constantly hot climates, materials that are transparent in the visible region but reflective in the infrared, such as thin metallic coatings, can be used to ensure that the inside of the building remains cool. These solar control coatings, however, pose a problem in varying climates such as in northern and central Europe. For these cases, materials that have altering properties owing to external surroundings could be the solution. These ‘chromatic’ materials include several categories, such as photochromic glasses and polymers, thermochromic metal oxides and electrochromic materials. This review will begin with a discussion as to the chemistry behind the solar control coatings and chromic materials including ambient radiation and the ideal of a black-body object. It will then look in depth at each class of these chromic materials considering experimental results and theoretical insight as well as production techniques and applications.

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspa.2009.0259

Thin films for solar control applications

Hydrolysis of molybdenum and tungsten alkoxides of the two series MO(OEt)4 and MO2(OEt)2 (M = Mo, W) has been studied. Hydrolysis products and the partially hydrolyzed solutions have been characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, IR, electron spectroscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering. Preparation of stable sols is reported and their structures are discussed in terms of a fractal model. While ‘tungsten solutions’ may be described as typical polymeric sols, ‘molybdenum solutions’ should be regarded as particulate sols. The reason for this difference has its origin in the structures of alkoxides and mechanisms of their hydrolysis. Sols were used for the preparation of electrochromic and photochromic films by spin-coating techniques. A coloration mechanism is discussed in terms of the percolation model. Some properties of the composite structures WO3TiO2, n-SiWO3 are also reported.

B.Sh Galyamov

Papers

Hydrolysis of molybdenum and tungsten alkoxides: sols, powders and films