Neutral colouring electrochromic thin films deposited via MOCVD

In the present work we investigate electrochromic films deposited by MOCVD. This technique is known to yield rather compact films, that are slower switching than films prepared by sol-gel. The compactness of the films on the other hand may improve their adhesion and durability. For architectural applications switching from a nearly transparent to an opaque neutral coloured state is highly desirable for aestetic reasons. To obtain neutral colouring films mixed oxides have been investigated in the literature. The most promising oxide at the time of writing appears to be mixed vanadium-tungsten oxide with V/W ratio in the range 4-10 % [1,2]. We here report on the deposition of vanadium, tungsten and mixed vanadium-tungsten oxide thin films by MOCVD and on their structural, chemical, optical and electrochemical characterization.