Optical properties and electrochromic response of nanostructured molybdenum trioxide films

• Published in: Journal of materials research Vol. 26; no. 1; pp. 55 - 61
• Main Authors: Beydaghyan, G., Boudreau, M., Ashrit, P.V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, USA Cambridge University Press 14-01-2011; Springer International Publishing; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Applied and Technical Physics; Biomaterials; Glass substrates; Grain size; Inorganic Chemistry; Lithium; Materials Engineering; Materials research; Materials Science; Molybdenum; Morphology; Nanotechnology; Optical Properties; Nanostructure
• ISSN: 0884-2914; 2044-5326
• DOI: 10.1557/jmr.2010.43

We report on the electrochromic response of as-deposited and annealed nanostructured molybdenum trioxide films prepared with the glancing angle deposition (GLAD) technique. Morphology of the as-deposited films, obtained with an atomic force microscope (AFM), showed a typical grain size of 10 to 50 nm diameter. After annealing, the AFM images clearly showed the dominant presence of a layered structure, characteristic of the orthorhombic (α) phase of molybdenum trioxide, with typical grain dimensions of a few micrometers. The annealed samples showed pronounced coloration in the visible and near-infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, while the as-deposited samples showed significant coloration only in the visible region.