Molecular Bonding Engineering Enables Ultra‐Stable Electrochromic Energy Storage in Flexible PEDOT Devices

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<sup>-1</sup> at 1 A g<sup>-1</sup>. PEDOT-D-based wearable electrochromic-supercapacitor devices subsequently exhibit 14.3% transmittance at 550 nm, a specific capacitance of 39.7 F g<sup>-1</sup> at 1 A g<sup>-1</sup>, 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.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Materials
Published
2025-11-21
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202516740
Citations
7
Primary Topic
Conducting polymers and applications
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
4.25
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article

Molecular Bonding Engineering Enables Ultra‐Stable Electrochromic Energy Storage in Flexible PEDOT Devices

Yuanhua Lin, Yuqiao Zhang, Yao Huang, Guangming Nie et al.
7 citations
Advanced Materials
Conducting polymers and applications
4.25
article

Molecular Bonding Engineering Enables Ultra‐Stable Electrochromic Energy Storage in Flexible PEDOT Devices

Yuanhua Lin, Yuqiao Zhang, Yao Huang, Guangming Nie, Chunhui Du, Ge Zhang, Long Zhang, Jianming Zhang, Shun Li, Cheng Xu, Jingkun Xu
article en
7 citations

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<sup>-1</sup> at 1 A g<sup>-1</sup>. PEDOT-D-based wearable electrochromic-supercapacitor devices subsequently exhibit 14.3% transmittance at 550 nm, a specific capacitance of 39.7 F g<sup>-1</sup> at 1 A g<sup>-1</sup>, 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.

Advanced MaterialsVol. 38(8)
Qingdao University of Science and Technology (CN), Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University (CN), Jiangsu University of Science and Technology (CN), State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics and Fine Processing, Jiangxi Normal University (CN), Tsinghua University (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 5%
Conducting polymers and applications
4.25
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