Molecular Bonding Engineering Enables Ultra‐Stable Electrochromic Energy Storage in Flexible PEDOT Devices
Abstract
Abstract Wearable electronics require materials that can withstand mechanical deformation while retaining electrochemical and optoelectronic functionality. Conducting polymers (CPs) are attractive candidates due to their inherent flexibility and electronic conductivity. However, their practical application is often limited by poor long‐term stability and deteriorated performance, particularly under thermal or mechanical stress, owing to structural degradation and overoxidation at high potentials. Herein, a dual‐strategy molecular design is adopted to intrinsically stabilize poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) by combining deuterium substitution with Lewis acid‐assisted polymerization, which suppresses backbone vibrational energy and mitigates over‐oxidative degradation during redox cycling. The resulting deuterated PEDOT film demonstrates exceptional multifunctional performance, including <5% capacitance loss after 300 000 cycles, a high electrochromic contrast of 40.9% at 700 nm, and a specific capacitance of 317 F g −1 at 1 A g −1 . PEDOT‐D ‐based wearable electrochromic‐supercapacitor devices subsequently exhibit 14.3% transmittance at 550 nm, a specific capacitance of 39.7 F g −1 at 1 A g −1 , robust stability, and reliable operation from −25 to 50 °C. This work establishes a structurally grounded molecular strategy for advancing the durability of CPs, providing a rational design for next‐generation flexible energy systems that are mechanically robust, thermally adaptive, and optically responsive.
Article Details
Authors (11)
Chunhui Du
Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Flexible Electronics Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University/Nanchang Jiaotong Institute Nanchang Jiangxi 330013 P. R. China
Xu Cheng
QTF Center of Excellence, Department of Electronics and Nanoengineering
Ge Zhang
Jingkun Xu
College of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Xinyang Normal University 1 , Xinyang 464000,
Jianming Zhang
Institute of Quantum and Sustainable Technology (IQST), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
Guangming Nie
State Key Laboratory of Advanced Optical Polymer and Manufacturing Technology Key Laboratory of Optic‐Electric Sensing and Analytical Chemistry for Life Science MOE State Key Laboratory Base of Eco‐chemical Engineering College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering Qingdao University of Science and Technology Qingdao 266042 P. R. China
Yao Huang
Chongqing Key Laboratory of Natural Product Synthesis and Drug Research, Innovative Drug Research Center, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Shun Li
Institute of Quantum and Sustainable Technology (IQST), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
Yuqiao Zhang
Institute of Quantum and Sustainable Technology (IQST), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
Long Zhang
Yuanhua Lin