Color-changing textiles and electrochromism

Abstract

Color plays a vital part in our lives, acting to warn (i.e., red is hot, blue is cold), to direct (i.e., red is stop, green is go), or to express (i.e., red is angry, blue is sad). As a powerful form of communication, color, and in particular a change in color, is irreplaceable. Textiles with the ability to change color provide the opportunity to act as a flexible communicative display. The display can be used to express emotions and opinions or can be used for identification and decoration or safety and camouflage purposes. In this chapter a range of pre-existing color-changing textiles that apply LED, optical fiber, and chromic (thermo-, photo-, halo-) technologies are considered. The possibilities of flexible communicative displays using electrochromic technologies are then explored in detail. The principals of electrochromism are discussed and electrochromic materials and their devices (ECDs) introduced. There is a great potential provided when electrochromism is applied to flexible textiles. A flexible colorchanging display, visible in natural and ambient light, offers endless opportunities. A number of challenges for the optimization and commercialization of flexible electrochromic devices (F-ECDs) exist. However, with the persistent improvements, which are being made, the field as a whole will continue to see great success. A colorful future is ahead for flexible electrochromic devices.