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Zr and W Co-doped VO2 thin films with improved luminous transmittance and transition temperature

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Abstract

This work reports on successful preparation of thermochromic zirconium and tungsten co-doped vanadium dioxide thin films. The impact of Zr and W co-doping of the thermochromic VO2 thin films on the luminous transmittance and transition temperature of the films is presented. The structural phases and surface morphology of the films were analyzed using the x-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy, respectively. Two points probe and UV/VIS/NIR Spectrometer were utilized to analyze the films’ electrical and optical properties, respectively. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) was employed to identify the elemental compositions of the films. It was found that Zr and W co-doping of VO2 thin films with ~ 0.3 at% Zr and ~ 0.95 at% W concentration improves luminous transmittance to about 48.4% compared to 40.5 and 26.2% for pristine VO2 and VO2:W films, respectively. The transition temperature of the co-doped films was lowered to 36 °C, compared to 64.8 and 44 °C for VO2 and VO2:W thin films, respectively. This study demonstrates that VO2 thin films may be effective for smart windows applications if W-doped VO2 films include a regulated proportion of Zr.

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The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

H. F. Haji is grateful to the Ministry of Education Science and Technology (MoEST) Tanzania for PhD scholarship and The State University of Zanzibar (SUZA) for study leave. The International Science Program (ISP), The University of Dar es Salaam and National Research Foundation (NRF) iThemba LABS are acknowledged for financial support, research facilities and materials.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, University of Dar es Salaam, P.O. Box 35063, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

    H. F. Haji, M. E. Samiji & N. R. Mlyuka

  2. Nanosciences Africa Network (NANOAFNET), iThemba LABS-National Research Foundation of South Africa, 1Old Faure Road, Eerste River, P. O. Box 722, Western Cape, 7129, South Africa

    N. Numan, I. G. Madiba & M. Maaza

  3. College of Graduate Studies, UNESCO-UNISA Africa Chair in Nanosciences/Nanotechnology, University of South Africa, Muckleneuk Ridge, P. O. Box 392, Pretoria, South Africa

    N. Numan, I. G. Madiba & M. Maaza

  4. Department of Natural Sciences, The State University of Zanzibar, P. O. Box 146, Zanzibar, Tanzania

    H. F. Haji

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  1. H. F. Haji
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Contributions

H. F. Haji, M. E. Samiji and N. R. Mlyuka contributed to the conceptualization of the study. Sample preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by H. F. Haji. N. Numan was involved in the two-point probe measurement system and Rurtherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS). I. G. Madiba was involved in XRD and RBS measurement. M.E. Samiji, N.R. Mlyuka, and M. Maaza were involved in financial acquisition and supervision of the work. The first draft of the manuscript was written by H. F. Haji and all authors reviewed and edited on the manuscript. All authors read and approve the manuscript.

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Haji, H.F., Numan, N., Madiba, I.G. et al. Zr and W Co-doped VO2 thin films with improved luminous transmittance and transition temperature. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 34, 2006 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-023-11381-y

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