Work

Durable and flexible zinc mesh anodes for scalable and fast-switching electrochromic devices

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Zinc anode-based electrochromic devices (ZECDs) represent a new generation of multifunctional electrochromic (EC) platforms, offering cost-effectiveness and high round-trip efficiency. However, their practical application remains limited due to the electric field inhomogeneity and the growth of Zn dendrites, issues primarily caused by the use of opaque peripheral Zinc (Zn) foils. Herein, we rationally designed a transparent ( T = 71.4% @633 nm), durable, and flexible Ag-PVDF (polyvinylidene difluoride) coated Zinc (AP@Zn) mesh electrode. The AP@Zn mesh promotes a homogeneous electric field and potential distribution within ZECDs, exhibits excellent corrosion resistance, and possesses a low activation energy (47.59 kJ mol −1 ). Furthermore, it demonstrates broad compatibility with various EC electrodes. As a result, a 5 cm × 5 cm Prussian blue (PB)//AP@Zn achieved fast switching times ( t c / t b 2.8 s/2.6 s), high coloration efficiency (157.44 cm 2 C −1 ), outstanding cycling stability (93.7% Δ T retention after 500 cycles), and integrated energy storage functionalities (32.89 mA h m −2 at 0.02 mA cm −2 ). A large, scalable 10 cm × 10 cm PB//AP@Zn device showed significantly faster switching times ( t c / t b 6.6 s/5.4 s) compared to the PB//Zn foil counterpart ( t c / t b 15 s/11.4 s). Importantly, we also demonstrated devices based on Nb 18 W 16 O 93 (NWO)//AP@Zn, which exhibited fast switching ( t c / t b 18.5 s/20 s) and high durability (77.7% Δ T retention after 1200 cycles), as well as potassium vanadate (KVO)//AP@Zn featuring multicolor capabilities. Stacked PB//AP@Zn//KVO electrochromic displays exhibited a six-color palette including olive green1, tawny, bronzing, olive green2, deep blue-green, and cool grayish green. This work underscores the critical role of electrode design in advancing ZECDs towards multifunctional and flexible electronics.

Source: npj Flexible Electronics

DOI: 10.1038/s41528-025-00509-1

Authors: Guolong Zhou, Mengjie Zhu, Bing Xu, Yuxiang Ge, Tongzhuang He, Qing Xu, Zihai Cheng, Wenjing Wang, Shi Nee Lou, William W. Yu, Li-Feng Chen, Jingwei Chen

Institutions: Ocean University of China, University of Science and Technology of China, Tianjin University, Shandong University

Language: English

Topic: Transition Metal Oxide Nanomaterials

Subfield: Polymers and Plastics

Field: Materials Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Affordable and clean energy

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $4,090