{"title":"“Dark-to-Warm” Smart Windows Enabled by Black-to-Black Electrochromic Copolymers with Minimal Visible and Remarkable NIR Modulation","authors":"Cheng Yuan, Guoqiang Kuang, Hongbin Yin, Akif Zeb, Pengrui Yin, Chaoyang Zhang, Yijie Tao*, Yafei Guo* and Shiguo Zhang*, ","doi":"10.1021/acs.macromol.4c00483","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p >Conducting polymers, despite their promising electrochromic properties, face limitations in smart windows due to their inverse modulation in visible and near-infrared (NIR) regions. In this study, we introduce novel “black-to-black” electrochromic copolymers, synthesized through direct arylation polymerization (DArP) of tris(thienothiophene) (TTT), 3,4-dialkylthiophene (DKTh), and benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole (Tz) monomers. These copolymers demonstrate minimal visible impact (<5%) and broad NIR modulation (>60%). The resulting electrochromic devices seamlessly transition between “Warm” mode (low visible and high NIR transmittance) and “Dark” mode (low visible and NIR transmittance), showcasing high switching stability, open-circuit memory, and coloration efficiency. The synthesized copolymers and devices surpass conventional “color-to-transmissive” conducting polymers, exhibiting significant solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) modulation and high optical contrast. This discovery prompts further exploration of dual-band electrochromic materials, particularly those featuring a “Warm” mode based on conducting polymers.</p>","PeriodicalId":51,"journal":{"name":"Macromolecules","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.1000,"publicationDate":"2024-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Macromolecules","FirstCategoryId":"92","ListUrlMain":"https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.macromol.4c00483","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"POLYMER SCIENCE","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Conducting polymers, despite their promising electrochromic properties, face limitations in smart windows due to their inverse modulation in visible and near-infrared (NIR) regions. In this study, we introduce novel “black-to-black” electrochromic copolymers, synthesized through direct arylation polymerization (DArP) of tris(thienothiophene) (TTT), 3,4-dialkylthiophene (DKTh), and benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole (Tz) monomers. These copolymers demonstrate minimal visible impact (<5%) and broad NIR modulation (>60%). The resulting electrochromic devices seamlessly transition between “Warm” mode (low visible and high NIR transmittance) and “Dark” mode (low visible and NIR transmittance), showcasing high switching stability, open-circuit memory, and coloration efficiency. The synthesized copolymers and devices surpass conventional “color-to-transmissive” conducting polymers, exhibiting significant solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) modulation and high optical contrast. This discovery prompts further exploration of dual-band electrochromic materials, particularly those featuring a “Warm” mode based on conducting polymers.
期刊介绍:
Macromolecules publishes original, fundamental, and impactful research on all aspects of polymer science. Topics of interest include synthesis (e.g., controlled polymerizations, polymerization catalysis, post polymerization modification, new monomer structures and polymer architectures, and polymerization mechanisms/kinetics analysis); phase behavior, thermodynamics, dynamic, and ordering/disordering phenomena (e.g., self-assembly, gelation, crystallization, solution/melt/solid-state characteristics); structure and properties (e.g., mechanical and rheological properties, surface/interfacial characteristics, electronic and transport properties); new state of the art characterization (e.g., spectroscopy, scattering, microscopy, rheology), simulation (e.g., Monte Carlo, molecular dynamics, multi-scale/coarse-grained modeling), and theoretical methods. Renewable/sustainable polymers, polymer networks, responsive polymers, electro-, magneto- and opto-active macromolecules, inorganic polymers, charge-transporting polymers (ion-containing, semiconducting, and conducting), nanostructured polymers, and polymer composites are also of interest. Typical papers published in Macromolecules showcase important and innovative concepts, experimental methods/observations, and theoretical/computational approaches that demonstrate a fundamental advance in the understanding of polymers.