High-performance complementary electrochromic device based on surface-confined tungsten oxide and solution-phase N-methyl-phenothiazine with full spectrum absorption

A novel complementary electrochromic device (ECD) with full spectrum absorption, based on surface-confined tungsten oxide (WO3), and solution-phase N-methyl-phenothiazine (NMP) was described and constructed. Cathodically colored inorganic material WO3 is near-infrared active, and anodicallly colored organic material NMP is visible active. These two electrochromic materials possessed the matching redox potential value and complementary spectra absorption in the full spectrum region. The fabricated ECD combined the electrochromic properties of blue colored WO3 and red colored NMP, and exhibited vivid color change from transparent to dark publish-red with superior optical modulation (ΔT %) both in the visible region (81 % at 535 nm) and near-infrared region (70 % at 1000 nm). It took 10 s to color the device under the application of −1.1 V and 18 s to bleach the device completely with the potential of 0 V. Furthermore, the assembled ECD realized a high coloration efficiency of 110 cm2 C−1 at 535 nm and also achieved excellent long-term cycling stability and maintains 95 % of the initial ΔT % value after 60,000 continuous switchings.