Publications

Composite WO₃/TiO₂ nanostructures for high electrochromic activity

Reyes, Karla R.; Stephens, Zachary D.; Robinson, David R.

A composite material consisting of TiO₂ nanotubes (NT) with WO₃ electrodeposited on its surface has been fabricated, detached from its Ti substrate, and attached to a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) film on glass for application to electrochromic (EC) reactions. Several adhesion layers were tested, finding that a paste of TiO₂ made from commercially available TiO₂ nanoparticles creates an interface for the TiO₂ NT film to attach to the FTO glass, which is conductive and does not cause solution-phase ions in an electrolyte to bind irreversibly with the material. The effect of NT length and WO₃ concentration on the EC performance were studied. As a result, the composite WO₃/TiO₂ nanostructures showed higher ion storage capacity, better stability, enhanced EC contrast, and longer memory time compared with the pure WO₃ and TiO₂ materials