Heteroacene-Based Polymer with Fast-Switching Visible-Near Infrared Electrochromic Behavior

Design Strategies for High Reflectivity Contrast and Stability Adaptive Camouflage Electrochromic Supercapacitors

The integration of an electrochromic (EC), energy storage, and adaptive camouflage system into a multifunctional electronic device is highly desirable and yet challenging. In this work, two carbazole-based conjugated polymers were prepared to achieve a reversible color change from transparent to yellow, green, and blue-green by easy electrochemical polymerization. Due to its dendritic geometry, the conjugated polymer p3CBCB exhibits a loosely packed structure with a relatively higher specific surface area than pCBCB, as well as a relatively better ionic conductivity. The kinetic and galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) study reveals that p3CBCB has superior properties with larger optical contrast and volumetric capacitance. Moreover, EC supercapacitors (ECSCs) are constructed with p3CBCB as the EC layer and ZnO@PEDOT:PSS as the ion storage layer. The dual function of a ZnO interface layer on improvement in reflectivity contrast (ΔR% > 35.1%) and cycling stability (over 40,000 cycles) using ZnO as a reflective and protective layer is demonstrated in an ion storage layer. Additionally, patterned prototype devices based on the design of double-sided ITO glass were successfully assembled, which can simulate conditions of various natural environments including forests, wilderness, and deserts. This study provides new ideas not only for the preparation of conjugated polymers that can simultaneously realize reversible transparent-yellow-green conversion but also for the achievement of high coloration efficiency, high reflectivity contrast, and good stability of ECSCs for adaptive camouflage.

The Multifaceted Opportunities Provided by the Pheomelanin-Inspired 1,4-Benzothiazine Chromophore: A Still-Undervalued Issue

1,4-Benzothiazines are the main building blocks of the naturally occurring pheomelanin pigments, and their chromophoric properties have been strongly related to the well-known phototoxicity of these pigments, partly responsible for the high incidence of melanoma and other skin cancers in red-haired people. However, some peculiar features of the 1,4-benzothiazine chromophore could be functionally exploited in several sectors. Within this context, in this perspective, an overview of the very recently reported applications of the 1,4-benzothiazine chromophore in pH sensing, filter permeability control, smart packaging, electrochromic device fabrication, bioimaging, photocatalysis, and HPLC detection systems is provided, together with a brief presentation of recently developed synthetic approaches to the 1,4-benzothiazine scaffold, with the aim of emphasizing the still-undervalued multifunctional opportunities offered by this class of compounds.