A freestanding electrochromic copolymer for multicolor smart window

Abstract

Electrochromic devices with low-cost, energy-saving advantages, and controllable color switching have gained widely attention. Yet, electrochromic materials are limited for smart window due to challenges such as difficulty freestanding, monotonous color change, slow switching capability, and low optical contrast. In this work, a freestanding copolymers based on Poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) and 3, 4-ethoxylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) are designed. The copolymer as-synthesized by the good secondary film-forming of PVK not only contains the freestanding property of PVK, but also possesses the excellent electrical and electrochemical properties of poly(3, 4-ethoxylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT). The freestanding copolymer was used to create the multicolor: brown, dark brown, purple, and blue. A high optical contrast of up to 39.1% and a color efficiency of up to 107.00 cm 2C−1 prove a significant coloration and bleaching effect, which is satisfactory for the application of electrochromic devices. Further, an electrochromic device based on P(PVK-co-EDOT) as coloring materials is constructed. This work contributes new ideas into the design of electrochromic smart materials.