A Strategy of Stabilization via Active Energy-Exchange for Bistable Electrochromic Displays

Abstract

As future energy-saving optoelectronics, bistable electrochromic (EC) materials/devices have high energy efficiency for potential applications as smart window, display and information/energy storage, etc., due to the ability of maintaining optical states without energy consumption. However, further development is hindered for the lack of in-depth understanding of related key factors and universally applicable design strategies for bistability. Herein, we reported a new strategy based on "active energy-exchange" with aid of proton coupled electron transfer, which can dynamically adjust the HOMO/LUMO energy levels of materials to obtain good bistability from traditional non-bistable materials. This strategy was thoroughly studied and proved by taking quinone derivatives and bromocresol green derivatives as examples. The device obtained after further polymerization and optimization showed remarkable bistability, coloration efficiency and application potential in energy-saving flexible displays. The success, challenges and cognitive gains of this strategy not only accelerate the development of various energy-saving optoelectronic materials/devices, but also likely stimulate rapid progress of physics, chemistry, life sciences, applied mathematics, precision instruments, etc.

Emerging Electrochromic Materials and Devices for Future Displays

“…Right: transmittance changes in bistable ECD (bottom) under relative electrical stimulation (top). Reproduced from ref . Copyright 2021 Chinese Chemical Society.…”

“…Furthermore, Sean X.-A. Zhang, Yu-Mo Zhang, and coauthors introduced an “active energy-exchange” strategy to limit unwanted electron reversal transfer . Through the process of intermolecular proton transfer (Figure b), the chemical energy of the molecules in a high-energy (unstable) state after an electrochemically driven redox process was actively released.…”

“…Zhang, Yu-Mo Zhang, and coauthors introduced an "active energy-exchange" strategy to limit unwanted electron reversal transfer. 188 Through the process of intermolecular proton transfer (Figure 6b), the chemical energy of the molecules in a high-energy (unstable) state after an electrochemically driven redox process was actively released. This intermolecular energy conversion process effectively achieved energy level matching between EC materials and electrodes, and prevented unwanted interfacial electron transfer.…”

A comparison of the mineral element content of 70 different varieties of pear fruit (Pyrus ussuriensis) in China

“…The ionic radius of Ca is larger than that of magnesium, which leads to greater flow resistance in the phloem, so it has lower fluidity than magnesium ( Karley & White, 2009 ). Bivalent Ca ions with larger ionic radii are more conducive to the formation of dense and stable calcium phosphate, calcium carboxylate epidermal plant fiber and phloem protein bone structure with the amino acid residues in the cell structure of the peel and the dense cell membrane carboxylate, which also causes the Ca content to be significantly higher than P and Mg content ( Gu et al, 2022a , 2022b ). Eating pears without peeling the fruit first can help supplement the Ca content required by the human body and help maintain the health of both bones and muscles.…”

An energy-saving, bending sensitive, and self-healing PVA-borax-IL ternary hydrogel electrolyte for visual flexible electrochromic strain sensors

“…The challenges for the commercial application of wearable ECDs mainly lie in the potential properties of electrolytes such as electrochemical stability, electrical conductivity, transparency, self-healing ability, and mechanical properties. 11,12 With the rapid development of electronic products, such as lithium-ion batteries, 13,14 triboelectric nanogenerators, 15 strain sensors, 16,17 and flexible wearable electronic devices, 18,19 the application potential and research of intelligent flexible ECDs have also ushered in a new milestone.…”