Issue 33, 2018

Ultraflexible, stretchable and fast-switching electrochromic devices with enhanced cycling stability

Abstract

Ultraflexible electronics have received extensive attention due to their favorable properties, such as superior mechanical robustness, light weight and good compatibility with large-area roll-to-roll fabrication. Here we present a flexible sandwiched tungsten trioxide/silver nanotrough network/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)–poly(styrene sulfonate) multi-layer transparent conducting electrode with prominent conductivity (sheet resistance as low as 1.08 Ω sq−1) and transparency (85%). In particular, the flexible transparent electrode exhibits excellent mechanical robustness upon bending and stretching. This hybrid electrode can be further adhered tightly to a layer of WO3 to form an electrochromic device, which simultaneously displays a rapid switching time (0.75 s/1.82 s for bleaching/coloring) and high cyclic performance (86% retention of the initial optical contrast after cycling for 30 000 s). In addition, our electrode can also be fabricated on various flexible substrates, such as polyethylene cling wrap, polydimethylsiloxane and Ecoflex, with sustained electrochromic properties after bending, twisting, stretching and even strong kneading. Our work provides new opportunities for the next generation of flexible and wearable electronics applied on various flexible substrates.

Graphical abstract: Ultraflexible, stretchable and fast-switching electrochromic devices with enhanced cycling stability

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
02 Apr 2018
Accepted
06 May 2018
First published
23 May 2018
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

RSC Adv., 2018,8, 18690-18697

Ultraflexible, stretchable and fast-switching electrochromic devices with enhanced cycling stability

Q. Liu, Z. Xu, W. Qiu, C. Hou, Y. Wang, P. Yao, R. Yu, W. Guo and X. Y. Liu, RSC Adv., 2018, 8, 18690 DOI: 10.1039/C8RA02829J

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications, without requesting further permission from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given and it is not used for commercial purposes.

To request permission to reproduce material from this article in a commercial publication, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party commercial publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements