Photopolymerization of electroactive film applied to full polymer electrochromic device

Abstract

Electroactive films of thiophene-acrylate polymers were simultaneously photopolymerized by means of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation using diphenyliodonium hexafluorophosphate and acrylate special photoinitiators (PIs) as a mixed photoinitiator. Free radicals from PIs can promote cationic polymerization of thiophenes. Electrical conductivity and transmittance of the electroactive film are high to 10–2 S・cm–1 and >90%. Electroactivity of the photopolymerized polymer film was confirmed by electro-polymerization of aniline on this film in aqueous solution and employed to assemble a full polymer electrochromic device having a superior optical contrast of 36.6%.