Synthesis and Characterization of WO₃ Nanostructures by the Solvothermal Method for Electrochromic Applications

In this study, a tungsten trioxide (WO₃) thin film was deposited by direct current (DC) sputtering onto a fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate as the seed layer at an oxygen partial pressure of 8 × 10⁻⁴ mbar. A simple solvothermal method involving tungsten hexacarbonyl (W(CO)₆), ethanol (C₂H₅OH), and hydrochloric acid (HCl) was used to synthesize vertically stacked nanoscale WO₃ hierarchical structures on WO₃ seed-layered FTO. After the deposition process, the FTO samples with nanostructures were subjected to annealing in air at 400°C for 4 h. After annealing, the surface morphology, structural characteristics, and optical and electrochromic properties of the grown nanostructures were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, UV–visible spectroscopy, and electrochemical analysis. From the XRD analysis, all the diffraction patterns were ascribed to a monoclinic phase. The SEM analysis showed that films grown with 5 μL HCl had a nanoflower structure compared to the films grown with 0 μL HCl and 20 μL HCl. The nanoflower-structured films showed a higher cathodic peak current (−2.22 mA), diffusion coefficient (5.43 × 10⁻⁹ cm²/s), and coloration efficiency (23.6 cm²/C). The increased electrochromic characteristics were attributed to the nanostructured films, which enhanced the diffusion of H⁺ ions by providing a large surface area during the charge transfer process.