Potentiostatically pretreated electrochromic tungsten oxide films with enhanced durability: Electrochemical processes at interfaces of indium-tin oxide

Recent work has shown that electrochromic WO3 films, backed by In2O3:Sn (ITO) and immersed in a lithium-ion-conducting electrolyte, can attain unprecedented electrochemical cycling durability after potentiostatic pretreatment at high voltage. Here we demonstrate that this intriguing feature is associated with changes in the properties of the ITO film. Specifically, we studied thin films of ITO and WO3/ITO immersed in an electrolyte of LiClO4 in propylene carbonate at potentials up to 6.0 V vs. Li/Li+ by cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy and present evidence that electrochemical reactions occur under these conditions. X-ray photoemission spectroscopy indicated that the ITO film was partly dissolved at high voltages and that the dissolution reaction promoted diffusion of In and Sn into the WO3 film.