Vanadium oxide thin films were fabricated on muscovite (001) substrates by sol-gel method, and the polycrystalline VO2 films were obtained by subsequent high temperature annealing. The morphology, optic properties and thermochromic phase transition characteristics of vanadium dioxide thin films annealed at different heating rate were investigated by SEM and FTIR. Results show that after annealed at the heating rate of 8 oC/min, the VO2 films exhibit excellent thermochromic phase transition characteristics with phase transition temperature of 65 oC and hysteresis width of 10 oC.