An aramid nanofibers-based gel polymer electrolyte with high mechanical and heat endurance for all-solid-state NIR electrochromic devices

A new type of gel polymer electrolyte composed of free-standing aramid nanofibers was used to fabricate allsolid-state near-infrared (NIR) electrochromic devices for NIR sheltering applications. This new type of gel polymer electrolyte showed excellent mechanical and heat endurance compared with currently available gel polymer electrolytes. The good film-forming ability of the aramid nanofibers makes assembling the electrochromic devices more convenient. The as-fabricated device showed an optical modulation of about 40% at 980 nm and achieved a coloration efficiency of 79.5 cm(2)C(-1), values that are larger than those previously reported for other electrochromic devices with similar structures. It is expected that aramid nanofibers-LiCIO4-based electrolyte films with high mechanical and heat endurance will have potential applications in spacecraft thermal control, optical communication, and biomedical analysis.