Fabrication and solar energy modulation enhancement research of triangular-like array composed of isolated VO2 nanoparticles

Improving the solar energy modulation under the premise of high luminous transmittance has always been the challenge for VO2 application in smart windows. In this paper, we proposed a triangular-like array composed of isolated VO2 nanoparticles and studied the solar energy modulation. The triangular-like array structure is formed by self-assembly technology of nanospheres. The number and size of particles in the array unit can be adjusted by changing vanadium deposition time and annealing time. The solar energy modulation is 7.9% and the luminous transmittance is 80.1% by optimizing the particles heights at 95 nm and diameters at 120 nm. The competitive solar energy modulation with the high luminous transmittance is attributed to the positive modulation in visible light region and the local resonance phenomenon in the near infrared light region. These results will promote the application of VO2 particles in smart windows.