Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition of Crystalline Monoclinic WO₃ and WO₃_-<i>_x</i> Thin Films from Reaction of WCl₆ with O-Containing Solvents and Their Photochromic and Electrochromic Properties

Abstract

The atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reaction of WCl6 with a variety of reactants (ethanoic anhydride, ethanoic acid, ethyl ethanoate, methanol, ethanol, 2-propanol, 2-methyl-2-propanol, and water) was examined on glass substrates. The deposited films displayed strikingly different morphologies with differing reactants under otherwise identical conditions. Full characterization revealed that the films were all monoclinic WO3, but the different morphologies lead to significant differences in the functional properties of the deposited films, such as photochromism and photocatalysis. The effects of the CVD parameters on deposited films were extensively studied for the reaction of WCl6 with ethanoic anhydride.