Electrochromic properties of nano-columnar nickel oxide

Electrochromic properties of transition metal oxides had much attention in recent years. The electrochromic thin films can be assembly as electrochromic devices (ECDs) and then used for applications in devices such as mirrors, panels and smart windows. A kind of complementary ECD is popular in resent years. Therefore, a specific investigation on nickel oxide (NiO) electrochromic properties is completed in this study. The crystalline structure of the NiO films was analyzed using XRD (PANalytical X'Pert PRO) with Cu-Kα radiation. The atmosphere of oxygen concentration increasing has changed the NiO films crystalline from (200) to (111). The thicknesses and surface microstructures of the NiO films were investigated using a scanning electron microscope (SEM, Philips/FEI XL40 FEG). It is observed that films are relatively smooth deposited without oxygen. The characterization of the electrochromic properties was carried out in a two-electrode cell with an electrochemical analyzer (CHI 611B). The NiO_x changes the transmittance of NiO films in the wavelength range of 300-1500 nm and the color of the film changes from transparent to brown. The nano-crack exhibits in the NiO film did enhance the electrochromic properties.