Recent advances in fabrication strategies, phase transition modulation, and advanced applications of vanadium dioxide

Vanadium dioxide (VO2), with the first-order metal-insulator phase transition at near room temperature, has attracted increasing attention in the past few decades. With rapid electrical switching, the phase transition in VO2 also triggers the colossal property changes in various aspects, such as optical properties, magnetic properties, and strain, and, thus, enables a wide range of modern applications. In this review, we present a complete picture of the latest advances of VO2, including the fabrication strategies, property modulation, and advanced applications. This review summarizes several typical fabrication methods of VO2 crystals as well as some common problems and their possible solutions. The strategies for the fabrication of single-crystalline VO2 arrays are also discussed to meet the requirements of the high-performance devices at the macro-scale. This review concerns the typical approaches for the modulation of (metal-insulator transition) MIT and emphasizes on the domain study of VO2 single crystals at the nanoscale. We aim at a clear explanation of the effect of various inhomogeneities on the MIT behavior of VO2 and the importance of the accurate control of MIT at the domain level. After summarizing the preparation and modification of VO2, we focus on the applications of this amazing smart material in various aspects, including strain engineering, optical modulation, electrical switching, and multi-responsive sensing.