Synthesis and Characterization of Potentiostatically Electrodeposited Tungsten Oxide Thin Films for Smart Window Application
Tungsten oxide (WO3) thin films have been synthesized using electrodeposition in potentiostatic mode and the effect of different deposition potentials on their structural, morphological, optical, and electrochromic (EC) properties investigated. The deposition potential versus saturated calomel electrode (SCE) was varied from −0.35 V to −0.50 V in steps of −0.05 V for 20 min each. The electrodeposited WO3 thin films were characterized using x-ray diffraction analysis, micro-Raman spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectrophotometry, revealing amorphous nature with nanograins having average size from 40 nm to 60 nm. The EC performance of the WO3 thin films exhibited response times of 1.35 s for bleaching (tb) and 3.1 s for coloration (tc) with excellent reversibility of 64.36%. The highest coloration efficiency of the electrodeposited WO3 thin films was found to be 87.95 cm2/C. The electrochemical reversibility and stability of the WO3 thin films obtained in this study make them promising for use in smart window applications.