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Polymers
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Advances in Polymer-Based Electrochromic Devices
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Advances in Polymer-Based Electrochromic Devices

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 October 2023) | Viewed by 5081

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Leipeng Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Center for Composite Materials and Structure, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
Interests: conducting polymer; electrochromism; variable IR emissivity; photothermal regulation
Dr. Tingting Hao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Astronautics, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
Interests: transparent conductive electrodes; Ag nanowires; electrochromic material

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Electrochromism is the phenomenon of the dynamic modulation of material optical properties through redox reactions under an applied electric field. It has helped find a wide range of applications in varying areas, including smart windows for energy-efficient buildings, low-power displays, self-dimming rear mirrors for automobiles, mid–far-infrared reflection modulation for infrared adaptive camouflage, thermal radiation manipulation, etc. Conventional electrochromic devices usually consist of a multilayer structure with transparent conductive layers, electrochromic films, ion-conducting layers and ion-storing films. The design and synthesis strategies of electrochromic materials and transparent conductors, comprehensive electrochemical kinetic analyses and novel device designs are areas of active research worldwide. We hope that this Special Issue promotes further efforts toward fundamental research on electrochromic materials and the development of novel multifunctional electrochromic devices to meet the growing demand for next-generation electronic systems.

Dr. Leipeng Zhang
Dr. Tingting Hao
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • electrochromism
  • electrochromic material
  • conducting polymer
  • polymer electrolyte
  • electrochromic device
  • transparent conductive electrodes
  • applications

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 3770 KiB  
Article
A Stretchable, Transparent, and Mechanically Robust Silver Nanowire–Polydimethylsiloxane Electrode for Electrochromic Devices
by Tingting Hao, Leipeng Zhang, Haoyu Ji, Qiyu Zhou, Ting Feng, Shanshan Song, Bo Wang, Dongqi Liu, Zichen Ren, Wenchao Liu, Yike Zhang, Jiawu Sun and Yao Li
Polymers 2023, 15(12), 2640; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15122640 - 10 Jun 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1528
Abstract
The application of flexible indium tin oxide (ITO-free) electrochromic devices has steadily attracted widespread attention in wearable devices. Recently, silver nanowire/poly(dimethylsiloxane) (AgNW/PDMS)-based stretchable conductive films have raised great interest as ITO-free substrate for flexible electrochromic devices. However, it is still difficult to achieve [...] Read more.
The application of flexible indium tin oxide (ITO-free) electrochromic devices has steadily attracted widespread attention in wearable devices. Recently, silver nanowire/poly(dimethylsiloxane) (AgNW/PDMS)-based stretchable conductive films have raised great interest as ITO-free substrate for flexible electrochromic devices. However, it is still difficult to achieve high transparency with low resistance due to the weak binding force between AgNW and PDMS with low surface energy because of the possibility of detaching and sliding occurring at the interface. Herein, we propose a method to pattern the pre-cured PDMS (PT-PDMS) by stainless steel film as a template through constructed micron grooves and embedded structure, to prepare a stretchable AgNW/PT-PDMS electrode with high transparency and high conductivity. The stretchable AgNW/PT-PDMS electrode can be stretched (5000 cycles), twisted, and surface friction (3M tape for 500 cycles) without significant loss of conductivity (ΔR/R ≈ 16% and 27%). In addition, with the increase of stretch (stretching to 10–80%), the AgNW/PT-PDMS electrode transmittance increased, and the conductivity increased at first and then decreased. It is possible that the AgNWs in the micron grooves are spread during PDMS stretching, resulting in a larger spreading area and higher transmittance of the AgNWs film; at the same time, the nanowires between the grooves come into contact, thus increasing conductivity. An electrochromic electrode constructed with the stretchable AgNW/PT-PDMS exhibited excellent electrochromic behavior (transmittance contrast from ~61% to ~57%) even after 10,000 bending cycles or 500 stretching cycles, indicating high stability and mechanical robustness. Notably, this method of preparing transparent stretch electrodes based on patterned PDMS provides a promising solution for developing electronic devices with unique structures and high performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Polymer-Based Electrochromic Devices)
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14 pages, 4508 KiB  
Article
Flexible Electrochromic Device on Polycarbonate Substrate with PEDOT:PSS and Color-Neutral TiO2 as Ion Storage Layer
by Christopher Johannes, Sven Macher, Lukas Niklaus, Marco Schott, Hartmut Hillmer, Michael Hartung and Hans-Peter Heim
Polymers 2023, 15(9), 1982; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15091982 - 22 Apr 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2099
Abstract
Electrochromic (EC) windows on glass for thermal and glare protection in buildings, often referred to as smart (dimmable) windows, are commercially available, along with rearview mirrors or windows in aircraft cabins. Plastic-based applications, such as ski goggles, visors and car windows, that require [...] Read more.
Electrochromic (EC) windows on glass for thermal and glare protection in buildings, often referred to as smart (dimmable) windows, are commercially available, along with rearview mirrors or windows in aircraft cabins. Plastic-based applications, such as ski goggles, visors and car windows, that require lightweight, three-dimensional (3D) geometry and high-throughput manufacturing are still under development. To produce such EC devices (ECDs), a flexible EC film could be integrated into a back injection molding process, where the films are processed into compact 3D geometries in a single automized step at a low processing time. Polycarbonate (PC) as a substrate is a lightweight and robust alternative to glass due to its outstanding optical and mechanical properties. In this study, an EC film on a PC substrate was fabricated and characterized for the first time. To achieve a highly transmissive and colorless bright state, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) was used as the working electrode, while titanium dioxide (TiO2) was used as the counter electrode material. They were deposited onto ITO-coated PC films using dip- and slot-die coating, respectively. The electrodes were optically and electrochemically characterized. An ECD with a polyurethane containing gel electrolyte was investigated with regard to optical properties, switching speed and cycling behavior. The ECD exhibits a color-neutral and highly transmissive bright state with a visible light transmittance of 74% and a bluish-colored state of 64%, a fast switching speed (7 s/4 s for bleaching/coloring) and a moderately stable cycling behavior over 500 cycles with a decrease in transmittance change from 10%to 7%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Polymer-Based Electrochromic Devices)
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14 pages, 4469 KiB  
Article
Weathering of a Polyurethane-Based Gel Electrolyte
by Christopher Johannes, Michael Hartung and Hans-Peter Heim
Polymers 2023, 15(6), 1448; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15061448 - 14 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1041
Abstract
A recently described flexible polyurethane electrolyte was artificially weathered at 25/50 °C and 50% r.h. in air and at 25 °C in a dry nitrogen atmosphere, each with and without UV irradiation. Different formulations and the polymer matrix, used as a reference, were [...] Read more.
A recently described flexible polyurethane electrolyte was artificially weathered at 25/50 °C and 50% r.h. in air and at 25 °C in a dry nitrogen atmosphere, each with and without UV irradiation. Different formulations and the polymer matrix, used as a reference, were weathered in order to investigate the influence of the amount of conductive lithium salt and the solvent propylene carbonate. The complete loss of the solvent at a standard climate was already observed after a few days, strongly influencing the conductivity and mechanical properties. The essential degradation mechanism appears to be the photo-oxidative degradation of the polyol’s ether bonds, which leads to chain scission, oxidation products and negative changes in the mechanical and optical properties. A higher salt content has no effect on the degradation; however, the presence of propylene carbonate intensifies the degradation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Polymer-Based Electrochromic Devices)
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