Rapid and effective electrochemical strategy for the synthesis of PAASs/PAAKs electrochromic high-performance polymers

In recent years, high-performance polymers (HPPs) have received much attention for their excellent electro-chromic (EC) properties and applications in optoelectronic research. Herein, a series of novel poly(arylamine sulfone) (PAAS) and poly(arylamine ketone) (PAAK) type HPP electrochromic films have been prepared directly on the Indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates by electrochemical polymerization. Notably, the triphenylamine-based polymers (P-TST and P-TKT) have higher optical contrast (capable of exceeding 40%), shorter switching times (coloring time tc and bleaching time tb can be as low as 1 s), and better cycling stability (optical contrast remains around 80% after a cycling test of 500 s) than the carbazole-based polymers (P-CSC and P-CKC). Performance aside, this work provides a simple, rapid, and efficient method to synthesize polyarylsulfone/ketone-based electrochromic materials for the first time. With this method, the cost is significantly reduced, production effi-ciency is accelerated, and the problem of difficult film formation due to poor solubility after conventional polymerization is solved, providing a feasible solution for subsequent large-scale production and practical applications.

Automated summary

In this study, a series of novel PAAS and PAAK type HPP electrochromic films were prepared directly on ITO substrates by electrochemical polymerization. The triphenylamine-based polymers showed higher optical contrast, shorter switching times, and better cycling stability compared to the carbazole-based polymers. Moreover, this work provides a simple and efficient method to synthesize polyarylsulfone/ketone-based electrochromic materials, reducing cost and improving production efficiency for large-scale production and practical applications.