Highly Regiosymmetric Homopolymer Based on Dioxythiophene for Realizing Water-Processable Blue-to-Transmissive Electrochrome

A highly regiosymmetric homopolymer based on a diethyl malonate derivatized 3,4-propylenedioxythiophene (ProDOT) monomer was synthesized through FeCl3 oxidative polymerization and postpolymerization functionalization to realize a water-processable blue-to-transmissive switching electrochromic polymer (WPECP-blue). As an electrochromic material, the polymer has a high electrochromic contrast Delta T-max = 56% at 580 nm and a relatively fast switching speed t(95) = 1.8 s, and shows only contrast loss of 11% (from 56% to 45%) at square wave potential step of 5 s over 11 000 switching cycles, making it a desirable candidate for electrochromic applications such as windows and displays.