Phase-transition-enabled dual-band camouflage in VO2/Ag multilayered nanostructures

In order to address the challenges of multispectral detection in day and night environments, a multilayer nanostructure integrating VO₂ and Ag for real-line dual-band visible-infrared camouflage is proposed. The structure utilises the temperature-dependent phase change characteristics of VO₂ in a Fabry-Pérot cavity to dynamically modify its structural coloring from cold to warm tones (e.g., from blue at 580 nm to yellow at 436 nm), thereby achieving background-adaptive visible light region stealth. Concurrently, the ultrathin silver layer functions to suppress the infrared emissivity (defined as ε < 0.1 in the 4–14 μm band), thereby ensuring minimal radiation contrast with the surrounding environment under both low and high temperature conditions. The simulation results demonstrate that the structure is polarization-insensitive and wide-angle tolerant (the infrared emissivity does not exceed 0.1 during the 0°–50° change), while the energy dissipation analysis indicates that the VO₂ layer exhibits a significant absorption effect on visible light and is driven by silver to suppress the infrared band. The colour-changing design offers a compact, adjustable, and practical solution for multispectral stealth in military applications.