A simple approach to attain low-dimensional, highly transparent VO₂-based thermochromic coatings on glass substrates is reported. This two-step procedure comprises the initial deposition of DC magnetron-sputtered vanadium films and the subsequent flash annealing of such layers in air atmosphere. The careful control of the thermal treatment parameters and characterizations carried out by scanning electron microscopy and variable temperature Vis-NIR spectrophotometry allowed the optimization of VO₂ yields for 12.5 nm and 25 nm thick layers. The impact of layer thickness and the nature of the thermal treatment itself on the thermochromic features of such systems were also evaluated. In this sense, the resulting systems developed asymmetric transmittance vs. temperature hysteresis loops as well as a surprisingly advantageous lowering of the phase transition temperature, which is achieved without the incorporation of dopants. The most promising results were obtained for a 12.5 nm thick layer flash annealed at 475 °C, which, despite having a moderate solar modulation ability (∼2%), could be a potential candidate for smart windows applications given its high Vis-NIR transparency (> 60%) coupled with its low transition temperature of 16 °C below the standard value for pure VO₂.

报道了一种在玻璃基板上获得低维、高透明 VO ₂基热致变色涂层的简单方法。这个两步程序包括直流磁控溅射钒薄膜的初始沉积和随后在空气气氛中对这些层进行快速退火。通过扫描电子显微镜和变温 Vis-NIR 分光光度法对热处理参数和表征进行仔细控制，从而优化了 VO ₂产量为 12.5 nm 和 25 nm 厚的层。还评估了层厚度和热处理本身的性质对此类系统的热致变色特征的影响。从这个意义上说，所得到的系统产生了不对称的透射率与温度滞后回线以及相变温度的令人惊讶的有利降低，这是在不掺入掺杂剂的情况下实现的。最有希望的结果是在 475 °C 下进行闪光退火的 12.5 nm 厚层，尽管具有适中的太阳能调制能力（~2%），但由于其高 Vis-NIR 透明度，它可能是智能窗户应用的潜在候选者(> 60%) 加上其低转变温度 16 °C 低于纯 VO ₂的标准值。