Strongly confined NaVO+ segregation and its thermo-responsive functionality at the interface between simple sputter-deposited amorphous vanadium oxide thin films and soda-lime glass was substantiated in the present study by in-situ temperature-controlled Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). The obtained ToF-SIMS depth profiles provided unambiguous evidence for a reversible transformation that caused systematic switching of the NaVO+/ Na+ and Na+/ VO+ intensities upon cycling the temperature between 25 ∘C and 340 ∘C. Subsequently, NaVO complexes were found to be reversibly formed (at 300 ∘C) in vanadium oxide diffused glass, leading to thermo-responsive electrical behaviour of the thin film glass system. This new segregation -- and diffusion-dependent multifunctionality of NaVO+ -- points towards applications as an advanced material for thermo-optical switches, in smart windows or in thermal sensors.
@article{arxiv.2101.03330,
title = {Interface-Driven Thermo-Electric Switching Performance of VO$^+$ Diffused Soda-Lime Glass},
author = {A. Carmel Mary Esther and G. Mohan Muralikrishna and Bonnie J. Tyler and Heinrich F. Arlinghaus and Sergiy V. Divinski and Gerhard Wilde},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2101.03330},
year = {2021}
}