Facile fabrication of high-performance electrochromic fabrics based on flexible Ag/Ni mesh electrode with exceptional conductivity

Abstract

Flexible electrochromic devices (FECDs) and electrochromic fabrics (ECFs) have attracted great attention in fashion clothing decoration and camouflage due to their low energy consumption and bi-stability. However, the complex and hierarchical structures of fabric substrates pose formidable challenges to the excellent and stable conductivity of ECFs. Here, we developed novel ECFs with excellent EC properties and outstanding stability by integrating FECDs with polyester fabric. Firstly, highly conductive silver (Ag)/nickel (Ni) mesh was heat-laminated on the thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) film, serving as flexible electrode with high transmittance. On this basis, the FECDs exhibit an exceptionally high transmittance (46.4 %), rapid response time (bleaching for 0.5 s at 0.8 V and coloring for 0.9 s at −0.4 V), outstanding stability (2.6 % decreased after 5000 cyclic switching), and low-power consumption (<0.05 J per cycle in 60 cm² FECDs). By harnessing the thermoplastic property of TPU, the FECDs can be readily transferred to fabric for the realization of ECFs, without compromising their comprehensive performances. More importantly, the outstanding conductivity and mechanical stability of ECFs under various challenging conditions (mechanical bending, physical damage, etc.) are unparalleled. We believe the simple-structured high-performance ECFs would be promising for flexible smart textile in any textile-based markets, such as wearable and intelligence camouflage.