Electrochromic Reflective Displays Based on In Situ Photo-Crosslinked PEDOT:PSS Patterns

Abstract

Electrochromic (EC) technology is regarded as one of the most promising candidates for next-generation reflective displays, owing to its advantages of outstanding color adjustability, low energy consumption, vivid color, and flexibility, etc. However, current EC reflective displays are seriously restricted by the complicated and expensive patterned methods. Herein, a facile and low-cost route is developed to achieve the EC reflective displays, which is fabricated based on the combination of an easily-obtained EC material of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and an efficient photo-crosslinked additive (2,4-hexadiyne-1,6-diol, HDDO). The micrometer-scale patterns (<50 µm) can be achieved by the in situ photo-crosslinked process. As-prepared EC devices show great performances containing fast response (<0.5 s), good reversibility (>10 000 cycles) and high coloration efficiency (274.75 cm2 C−1). More importantly, the applications in the EC logo, QR code, and price tag are demonstrated successfully. Overall, the current exploration suggests an efficient, low-cost, and facile method to produce patterned EC devices with high performance, which can undoubtedly promote the further development and application of EC reflective displays.