Oxygen-deficient tungsten oxide nanorods with high crystallinity: Promising stable anode for asymmetric supercapacitors

Visible and near-infrared modulating tungsten suboxide nanorods electrochromic films in acidic aqueous electrolytes

Proton-based aqueous electrolytes can be used to achieve high performance electrochromic nanocrystal thin films due to their small ion size. However, acidic aqueous electrolyte systems have not yet been explored in near-infrared (NIR) absorbing plasmonic tungsten oxide nanocrystal films. Here, we demonstrate tungsten suboxide nanorod films with excellent visible and NIR modulation performance in the H+-based aqueous electrolytes, thanks to their mesoporous structure, nanosized domains, and open tunnel structure. Colloidally synthesized WO2.83 nanorods with an average width of 6 nm and length of 48 nm were converted to WO2.90 nanorod film via annealing in air, while still preserving open tunnels. These films exhibit fast switching speed (tc = 0.9 s, tb = 2.1 s), excellent cycling stability over 2500 cycles, wide optical modulation up to ΔT = 53.8 % in the NIR region, and a high coloration efficiency (CE) of 167 cm2 C⁻1 at 1300 nm. Additionally, introducing a thin spacer (25 μm) reduced intrinsic NIR absorption from water, thereby enhancing the NIR modulation properties. These highly performing aqueous proton-electrolytes-based electrochromic devices open new possibilities for implementing visible and NIR electrochromism.

Glutathione-Mediated Synthesis of WO3 Nanostructures with Controllable Morphology/Phase for Energy Storage, Photoconductivity, and Photocatalytic Applications

Developing an improved synthesis method that controls the morphology and crystal phase remains a substantial challenge. Herein, we report phase and morphology-controlled hydrothermal synthesis of tungsten oxides by varying acid concentration and utilizing glutathione (GSH) as a structural directing agent, together with the exploration of their applications in supercapacitors, photoconductivity, and photocatalysis. Orthorhombic hydrated tungsten oxide (WO3·0.33H2O) with nonuniform block and plate-like morphology was obtained at 3 M hydrochloric acid (HCl). In contrast, nonhydrated monoclinic tungsten oxide (WO3) with smaller rectangular blocks was obtained at 6 M HCl. Further, the addition of GSH results in an increase in the surface area of the materials along with a narrowing of the band gap. Moreover, it plays a pivotal role in regulating the morphology through oriented attachments, Ostwald ripening, and the self-assembly of WO3 nuclei. GHTO and GTO polymorphs showed pseudocapacitive behavior with the highest specific capacitances of 450 and 300 F g-1 at 0.5 A g-1, maintaining 94 and 92% retention stability, respectively, over 1000 cycles at 2 A g-1. Also, the synthesized materials displayed favorable photoconductivity under light irradiation, implying potential utilization in photovoltaic applications. Moreover, these materials exhibited remarkable photocatalytic performance in the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye, establishing themselves as highly effective photocatalysts. Therefore, nanostructured tungsten oxide showcases its versatility, rendering it an appealing candidate for energy storage, photovoltaic systems, and photocatalysis.

Synthesis and Capacitive Properties of Mesoporous Tungsten Oxide Films Prepared by Ultrasonic Spray Deposition

Mesoporous tungsten trioxide (WO3) films are prepared by the combination of the template-assisted sol-gel method and ultrasonic spraying deposition (USD) for supercapacitors, and then the surface morphology and electrochemical performance of the films are studied. Compared to WO3 prepared by the traditional hydrothermal synthesis and spin coating method, the films obtained by USD exhibit advantages such as low cost, minimal material usage, and suitability for large-area in-line manufacturing. Additionally, the mesoporous structure of USD-produced films is also supportive of ion transportation. Due to the high specific surface area of WO3 films deposited by USD, it is a material capable of use in a high-performance energy storage device. Through the control of spray coats, the film thickness and specific capacitance can be effectively controlled. Electrochemical measurements show that the mesoporous WO3 films possess excellent electrochemical performance with a maximum specific capacitance of 109.15 F/g at 0.5 A/g. The cycling performance up to 5000 cycles of mesoporous WO3 films is due to the stable nature of nanocrystalline produced by the combination of USD and sol-gel chemistry.

All-Inorganic Quantum Dot Light-Emitting Diodes with Suppressed Luminance Quenching Enabled by Chloride Passivated Tungsten Phosphate Hole Transport Layers

Although excellent performance such as high efficiency and stability have been achieved in quantum dot (QD)-based light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) possessing an organic/inorganic hybrid device structure, the highly expected all-inorganic QLEDs remain at the bottleneck stage in recent years, resulting from the luminance quenching of QDs caused by inorganic hole transport layer (HTL) and unbalanced charge injection due to large energy barrier for injecting holes from HTL to QDs. Here, it is reported that the solution-processed inorganic environmentally friendly chloride (Cl)-passivated tungsten phosphate (Cl@TPA) films serve as HTL. The incorporation of Cl in TPA effectively passivates the oxygen vacancies, which not only avoids the luminescence quenching of QDs by reducing carrier concentration but also facilitates the hole injection from HTL to QDs with a favorable electronic band alignment, thus achieving the record external quantum efficiency of ≈9.27%, among all previous reports about all-inorganic QLEDs. Most importantly, the resulting all-inorganic QLEDs with Cl@TPA exhibit a substantial improvement in the operational lifetime (T₅₀  > 10⁵ h under an initial luminance of 100 cd m^-2 ), which is almost 30-fold higher than the devices with TPA HTL. This work furnishes a promising strategy for highly efficient and stable QLEDs based on inorganic device structure.

Advances in Electrochemical Energy Devices Constructed with Tungsten Oxide-Based Nanomaterials

Tungsten oxide-based materials have drawn huge attention for their versatile uses to construct various energy storage devices. Particularly, their electrochromic devices and optically-changing devices are intensively studied in terms of energy-saving. Furthermore, based on close connections in the forms of device structure and working mechanisms between these two main applications, bifunctional devices of tungsten oxide-based materials with energy storage and optical change came into our view, and when solar cells are integrated, multifunctional devices are accessible. In this article, we have reviewed the latest developments of tungsten oxide-based nanostructured materials in various kinds of applications, and our focus falls on their energy-related uses, especially supercapacitors, lithium ion batteries, electrochromic devices, and their bifunctional and multifunctional devices. Additionally, other applications such as photochromic devices, sensors, and photocatalysts of tungsten oxide-based materials have also been mentioned. We hope this article can shed light on the related applications of tungsten oxide-based materials and inspire new possibilities for further uses.

A high performance tungsten bronze electrode in a mixed electrolyte and applications in supercapacitors

A Na2SO4 + H2SO4 mixed electrolyte is demonstrated for a tungsten bronze pseudocapacitive electrode. The Na2SO4 supporting salt allows a large potential window while H+ effectively suppresses phase transformation. The electrode delivers a capacitance of 860 mF cm-2 with a -0.9 V-0 V window and 98% capacitance retention over 30 000 cycles.