3D Printed Electrochromic Supercapacitors with Ultrahigh Mechanical Strength and Energy Density.

Abstract

With the accelerating update of advanced electronic gadgets, a great deal of attention is being paid today to the function integration and intelligent design of electronic devices. Herein, a novel kind of multitasking 3D oxygen-deficient WO3- x ∙ 2H2 O/Ag/ceramic microscaffolds, possessing simultaneous giant energy density, ultrahigh mechanical strength, and reversible electrochromic performance is proposed, and fabricated by a 3D printing technique. The ceramic microscaffolds ensure outstanding mechanical strength and stability, the topology optimized porous lattice structure provides developed surface area for coloration as well as abundant easily accessible channels for rapid ion transportation, and the bifunctional oxygen-defective pseudomaterials enable the large areal capacity and impressive electrochromic performance. As a result, this 3D-printed multitasking microscaffolds simultaneously perform structure-designable, electrochromic, compression resistant, and energy storage functions, behaving with true 3D structure with tailorable curvatures, excellent compressive strength (61.9 MPa), large color variations (>145% in b* value), good aesthetic visual quality as well as exciting electrochemical performances for energy storage including ultrahigh areal capacitance (10.05 F cm-2 at 5 mA cm-2 ), record-high energy density (0.60 mWh cm-2 ), and superior long-term cycling stability (88.6% capacity retention after 10 000 cycles). This work opens up the possibility for high-performance multi-functional coupling structural materials and integrated systems.