Fabrication of fast switching electrochromic window based on poly(3,4-(2,2-dimethylpropylenedioxy)thiophene) thin film

• Published in: Journal of materials science. Materials in electronics 2016-06, Vol.27 (6), p.6035-6042
• Main Authors: Lakshmanan, Raja, Raja, P. P., Shivaprakash, N. C., Sindhu, S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Charge; Chemistry and Materials Science; Color; Devices; Electrochromism; Eyes; Materials Science; Optical and Electronic Materials; Switching; Thin films; Windows (computer programs)
• ISSN: 0957-4522; 1573-482X
• DOI: 10.1007/s10854-016-4527-0

An electroactive poly(3,4-(2,2-dimethylpropylenedioxy)thiophene) (PProDOT-Me 2 ) thin film was electropolymerized by cyclic voltammetry technique, and its electrochemical and electrochromic properties were systematically studied. The prepared PProDOT-Me 2 thin film was electrochemically reversible, and it showed a linear relation between peak current with scan rates. The electrochemical impedance spectrum also indicated the diffusion limitation of the film during charge/discharge process. The film showed a good color contrast (60 %) with a low applying potential of 1.2 V. The electrochromic window (ECW) based on PProDOT-Me 2 film was fabricated and studied for its electrochromic performance. The color contrast of the device was achieved as 36 % at λ max of 560 nm. The switching speed of fabricated ECW for coloring and bleaching were almost 0.7 s in a range of +1.5 to −1.5 V. The fabricated device showed better cyclic current response and remarkable switching stability over 100 cycles. The novelty of the electrochromic window based on PProDOT-Me 2 is the maximum absorbance at photopic wavelength that would be highly sensitive to human eyes.