Flexible W‐Doped VO 2 Multilayer Coatings for Spectrally Decoupled Structural Color and Temperature‐Adaptive Infrared Emission
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT Thermally reconfigurable optical coatings that combine visible coloration with selective infrared emission are challenging because broadband low‐emissivity designs suppress both detectable radiation and radiative heat release. Here, we report a flexible, lithography‐free W‐doped VO 2 hybrid multilayer coating for spectrally decoupled visible coloration and temperature‐adaptive infrared emission. Visible coloration is governed by TiO 2 /SiO 2 thin‐film interference, whereas temperature‐dependent infrared regulation arises mainly from the optical transition of W‐doped VO 2 . The optimized coating maintains a low unweighted band‐averaged emissivity of ≤0.24 in the 3–5 µm mid‐wave infrared (MWIR) window in both thermal states, while its 8–20 µm emissivity increases from approximately 0.24 to 0.83 upon heating. Simulations show that TiO 2 ‐thickness‐based color tuning only weakly perturbs the infrared response and that the band‐resolved characteristics are retained under transverse‐electric (TE)‐polarized incidence up to 60°. The coating also preserves its characteristic infrared response after 100 machine‐controlled bending cycles at a radius of 10 mm. This flexible, lithography‐free architecture therefore enables largely decoupled visible appearance control, persistent MWIR suppression, and temperature‐activated long‐wavelength emission, providing a mechanically compliant platform for spectrally selective thermal emission and adaptive infrared photonics.
Source: Advanced Optical Materials
DOI: 10.1002/adom.72032
Language: English
Subfield: Civil and Structural Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7225313885