Layer-stacked polyaniline/silver nanowire composite film for multicolor electrochromic smart windows with dual-band optical modulation

Abstract

Dual-band electrochromic smart windows (DESWs) have attracted widely concern for their potential in significantly reducing building energy consumption by selectively controlling near-infrared (NIR) and visible light (VIS) transmittance. However, its monotonous color changes limit its large-scale application. In this study, we designed a DESW based on the layer-stacked polyaniline (PANI)/silver Nanowires (Ag NWs) composite films. When PANI films is stacked layer by layer with Ag NWs, it not only performs dual band regulation, but also exhibits impressive electrochromic performance with rich color conversions (light yellow, yellow-green and blue-black). The four-layer PANI/Ag NWs composite film outperformed the pure single-layer PANI film because of the faster electron transfer, its coloring time and bleaching time at 525 nm were shortened to 6.7 s and 18.0 s, respectively, and the coloring efficiency was increased to 45.5 cm2 C-1. After 2500 cycles, the PANI/Ag NWs films tend to have better cycle stability. Therefore, the incorporation of Ag NWs enhances the electrochromic performance of PANI films, providing valuable insights for advancing single-component organic electrochromic materials.