Sputtering deposition and characterization of Ru-doped WO3 thin films for electrochromic applications

Mixed tungsten-ruthenium oxide thin films were prepared for the first time by dc magnetron co-sputtering technique and were studied by cyclic voltammetry, optical transmission measurements, Raman spectroscopy and the W L-3 and Ru K edges X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) in comparison with pure WO3 films. The Ru concentration was varied in the range from 0 to 28 at.%. XAS results suggest that the average local structure around both tungsten and ruthenium ions remains unchanged within experimental accuracy in all samples, moreover, for tungsten ions, it resembles that of pure WO3 films. However, the presence of the ruthenium ions affects the electrochemical and optical properties of the films. Our results suggest that mixed films are formed by tungsten trioxide grains surrounded by ruthenium oxide phase.