Metal–insulator transition temperature of boron-doped VO2 thin films grown by reactive pulsed laser deposition.

Undoped and boron- (B) doped VO 2 thin films were successfully deposited by pulsed laser deposition. Boron doping enables to drastically reduce the metal–insulator transition (MIT) temperature (T MIT) at a rate as large as 31.5 °C/at.%B. As boron doping is interstitial, B atoms can be incorporated in the VO 2 matrix without affecting its stoichiometry as demonstrated by the invariability of the valence state of vanadium ions. Therefore, boron doping stands as an efficient strategy to reduce T MIT toward room temperature, while maintaining the contrast of both electrical resistivity and infrared transmittance across the MIT suitable for applications such as smart radiators. Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]