Polymer-MXene-Viologen-Based Suprahybrid Electrochromic Device: Flexible Smart Window with Visible and Near-Infrared Switchability

Abstract

Developing efficient generic electrochromic devices yet capable of demonstrating specialized applications is desired for designing smart (opto)electronic gadgets. An approach of combining material from three different families of (conducting) polymer, organic functional molecules, and modern 2D MXenes has been adopted here to develop a solid-state electrochromic device with improved performance. Such a suprahybrid device is developed where an all-organic polythiophene-viologen-based smart devices have been doped with 2D vanadium carbide (V2C) MXene not only to enhance the electrochromic performances but also to demonstrate a specialized application in designing multipurpose goggles. The doping of 2D V2C MXene increases the color contrast and switching speed, which shows switching in the visible as well as near-infrared range so that it can cut heat up to 12%. A high cyclic stability and coloration efficiency was demonstrated in two different wavelength regions. By utilization of the device’s flexible nature, a prototype pair of goggles has been prepared that changes the color of one or more frames by selectively giving bias for specialized application in making 3D vision goggles. © 2025 American Chemical Society.