Sputtered Spontaneously Nano-porous VO2-based Films via PTFE Self-Template: Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance Induced Robust Optical Performance for Solar Glazing Application

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel method to create nano-porous VO2 films with enhanced optical properties using PTFE as a self-template, enabling improved solar modulation and potential smart window applications.

Contribution

It introduces a simple, scalable approach to produce nano-porous VO2 films with superior optical performance via PTFE self-template and reactive sputtering.

Findings

Nano-porous VO2 films achieve 78% luminous transmittance.

Enhanced solar modulation ability ({}Tsol) of 14.1%.

Microstructure provides antireflection effects.

Abstract

The PTFE (Teflon) has been selected as the self-template structural material in preparation of VO2 films using reactive magnetron sputtering systems and post annealing progress. Spontaneous random nano-porous structures of VO2 films growing on quartz glasses have been deliberately established via bottom-up processing through this novel and facile approach. The nano-porous VO2 films exhibit an excellent optical performance based on localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), with ultrahigh luminous transmittance (Tlum) up to 78.0% and the promoted solar modulation ability ({\Delta}Tsol) of 14.1%. Meanwhile, the ingenious microstructure of film provides an antireflection function from multiple perspectives in visible light, with the potential of the windshield on vehicles for smart solar modulation. The nano-porous films expand the practical application of thermochromic VO2 to a fire-new field, breaking the optical performance envelope of single-layer dense VO2 film away, and offering a universal method to prepare homogeneous nano-porous structures for thin films.