WO3

Tungsten trioxide · Tungstic anhydride, Tungstic oxide

Tungsten trioxide is a stable, semiconducting metal oxide valued for its ability to change color in response to electrical stimuli, making it ideal for smart glass and sensing technologies.

Crystal structure of WO3
Ground-state structure · Materials Project
Overview

About Tungsten trioxide

Tungsten trioxide is a prominent semiconducting oxide known for its exceptional thermodynamic stability. As a key member of the refractory-metal oxide family, it exhibits a versatile structural chemistry that has been extensively documented across numerous research databases.

This compound is primarily recognized for its electrochromic properties, where it undergoes reversible color changes upon ion insertion. Its robust nature and tunable electronic structure make it an essential material for developing advanced smart windows, gas sensors, and high-performance electrochromic display technologies.

At a glance

Key Properties

Cross-validated computational properties for Tungsten trioxide, aggregated across 4 databases.

Band Gap

0.34–2.66 eV
Range across DFT structures

Energy Above Hull

0.000 eV/atom
Best (lowest) across sources

Stability

On hull (stable)
2 DFT sources

Structures

282
4 databases, 41 space groups
Synthesis

Synthesis Routes

Literature-extracted synthesis procedures targeting WO3.

Sol Gel
Procedure available · ceder_sol_gel
Sol Gel
Procedure available · ceder_sol_gel
Sol Gel
Procedure available · ceder_sol_gel
Solid State
Procedure available · ceder_solid_state
Solid State
Procedure available · ceder_solid_state
Solid State
Procedure available · ceder_solid_state
Uses

Applications

Where Tungsten trioxide is used.

Electrochromic smart windowsGas sensorsCatalysisElectrochromic display devicesPhotocatalytic water splitting
Intellectual Property

Patent Landscape

4 patents reference WO3 or close compositional variants.

PatentTitleAssigneeGranted
10183863Porous hollow shell WO3/WS2 nanomaterial and method of preparing same
4303622Chemical treatment of low-grade wolframite concentrate having high Mo/WO.sub.3 ratio
12247281Method for coating a substrate with a Co-PI modified BiVO4/WO3 heterostructure film
4298665Cathode comprising the reaction product of Bi.sub.2 O.sub.3 and WO.sub.3
Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Tungsten trioxide, answered from cross-validated data.

What is WO3?

Tungsten trioxide is a stable, semiconducting metal oxide valued for its ability to change color in response to electrical stimuli, making it ideal for smart glass and sensing technologies.

More questions
What is WO3 used for?
Tungsten trioxide (WO3) is used in electrochromic smart windows, gas sensors, catalysis, electrochromic display devices, and photocatalytic water splitting.
What is the band gap of WO3?
Tungsten trioxide (WO3) has a DFT-computed band gap of 0.34–2.66 eV across 282 reported structures.
Is WO3 a metal, semiconductor, or insulator?
With a band gap up to 2.66 eV it is a semiconductor.
Is WO3 thermodynamically stable?
Yes — Tungsten trioxide (WO3) sits on the convex hull (energy above hull 0 eV/atom), i.e. on hull (stable).
How many polymorphs of WO3 are known?
282 structures of WO3 are reported across 4 databases, spanning 41 distinct space groups.
How is WO3 synthesized?
Literature-reported routes for WO3 include sol gel, solid state (9 procedures documented).
What elements does WO3 contain?
Tungsten trioxide (WO3) contains O and W (2 elements).
Where does the data for WO3 come from?
WO3 data is cross-referenced from latticegraph.
Comparison

How It Compares

Within the electrochromic and refractory-metal oxides class.

Within the class of refractory-metal oxides, tungsten trioxide stands out for its superior stability compared to various molybdenum oxides like MoO3 or MoO2. While it shares the functional versatility seen in V2O5 and Nb2O5 for electrochemical applications, its specific structural evolution and reliable performance under diverse conditions make it one of the most widely utilized materials in the field.

Explore

Related Compounds

Other Electrochromic and Refractory-Metal Oxides in the database.

Data sources & attribution
  • latticegraph — Lattice Graph Materials Intelligence Platform

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