A feasible strategy for the fabrication of camouflage electrochromic fabric and unconventional devices

Abstract

Research aimed at developing a wearable electrochromic fabric providing active camouflage has been ongoing for many years. Despite recent progress, no architecture has been shown to be suitable for practical applications, due to some major problems at the device level. The complicated structure of these prototype devices and their complex electrode materials reduce their practicability and make it difficult to achieve the aim of chameleon-like camouflage capabilities. Here, we use a laterally-configured electrode structure and inexpensive and commercially available ITO film as electrodes to construct an electrochromic (EC) fabric via an all-solution process. This novel EC fabric exhibits camouflage EC performance by changing colour between vegetable-green and soil-brown; it is also practical for camouflage applications due to its excellent flexibility and stability as well as being thin and lightweight. Moreover, this strategy can also be used to fabricate flexible transparent EC devices on plastics and “chameleon camouflage” on human skin. This approach is simple to configure and easy to operate, and has potential for the development of EC device systems that can change colour in camouflage applications.