Improved luminous transmittance and diminished yellow color in VO2 energy efficient smart thin films by Zn doping

Single pure M1-phase V1−xZnxO2 thin films with various Zn concentrations were fabricated on quartz glasses by reactive magnetron sputtering. Structural, morphological and optical properties of the prepared samples were characterized. Zn doping has a great effect on the morphology of V1−xZnxO2 thin films. Particularly, the luminous transmittance of V1−xZnxO2 films largely increased and the yellow color was significantly diminished as compared with pure VO2 films of the same thickness, which was due to the absorption-edge blueshift in the doped VO2 thin films. This feature benefits the application of VO2 thin films to energy efficient smart windows.