A study at the University of Queensland has shown that tungsten and molybdenum (Mo) can improve the electrochemical properties of the cathode materials in Li batteries. As the driving range of electric vehicles increases, more nickel is needed to increase energy density, but this also reduces cycle stability. Tungsten and Mo improve stability by enhancing structural stability and resistance of the cathode material surface layer to electrode/electrolyte side reactions.

Among the transition metal oxides, tungsten trioxide (WO3) has attracted much attention and has been widely studied due to its many interesting structures and defect characteristics. The numerous applications of WO3 optical and electronic devices include electrochromic (EC) smart windows, flat panel displays, tunable EC photonic crystals, and gas sensors. However, its higher band gap energy (2.6-3.6 eV) limits its application. Therefore, the low frequency near infrared light (NIR) cannot be blocked.

A study conducted by researchers at the University of Queensland has shown that the specific properties of metallic materials such as tungsten (W) and molybdenum (Mo) could improve the electrochemical properties, especially the cycle stability, of cathode materials in Li batteries. Ni–Co–Mn ternary oxide materials (NCMs) and Ni–Co–Al materials (NCAs) are widely used as cathodes in lithium ions for electric vehicles. Increasing the driving range of electric vehicles necessitates a raise of the nickel content to increase the energy density, which, however, degrades the cycle stability.

Electrochromism (EC) is a phenomenon that induces a reversible optical change (coloration/bleaching) in a material by applying a small electric field. Tungsten oxide (WO3) is the most widely studied electrochromic material due to its outstanding electrochromic (EC) properties. Materials that can continuously and reversibly change color under reversible electrochemical processes are called electrochromic materials, which have been widely used to fabricate light modulation devices. Among these devices, anti-glare car mirrors have been commercialized, and smart windows are currently driving intensive development.