Vanadium dioxide (VO2)-based energy-saving smart films or coatings aroused great interest in scientific research and industry due to the reversible crystalline structural transition of VO2 from the monoclinic to tetragonal phase around room temperature, which can induce significant changes in transmittance and reflectance in the infrared (IR) range. However, there are still some obstacles for commercial application of VO2-based films or coatings in our daily life, such as the high phase transition temperature (68 °C), low luminous transmittance, solar modulation ability, and poor environmental stability. Particularly, due to its active nature chemically, VO2 is prone to gradual oxidation, causing deterioration of optical properties during very long life span of windows. In this review, the recent progress in enhancing the thermochromic properties of VO2-hybrid materials especially based on environmental stability has been summarized for the first time in terms of structural modifications such as core-shell structures for nanoparticles and nanorods and thin-films with single layer, layer-by-layer, and sandwich-like structures due to their excellent results for improving environmental stability. Moreover, future development trends have also been presented to promote the goal of commercial production of VO2 smart coatings.
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