A long lifetime of electrochromic (EC) materials is required in real-life applications, and the understanding and alleviation of deterioration are imperative to their commercialization. Here we investigate the stability of poly(3,4-(2,2-dimethylpropylenedioxy)thiophene) (PProDot-Me₂) films via cycling 10 000 times in 0.1 M LiClO₄/propylene carbonate (PC). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results reveal that parts of [ClO₄]⁻ and Li⁺ ions were trapped and then adsorbed on polymer fibres, which makes the morphology change from irregular networks to compact microstructures, and the inclusion complex formed reduces the number of electroactive sites and blocks ions channels, preventing the migration of free [ClO₄]⁻ from the electrolyte. Based on our hypothesis, the stability was finally improved by optimizing the cycling conditions. This study provides guidance to improve the stability of EC materials.

中文翻译：

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电致变色聚（3,4-（2,2-二甲基丙烯二氧基）噻吩）薄膜的劣化机理†

在实际应用中，要求电致变色（EC）材料具有较长的使用寿命，并且对劣化的理解和缓解对于其商业化势在必行。在这里，我们通过在0.1 M LiClO ₄ /碳酸亚丙酯（PC）中循环10 000次来研究聚（3,4-（2,2-二甲基丙烯二氧基）噻吩）（PProDot-Me ₂）薄膜的稳定性。扫描电子显微镜（SEM）和X射线光电子能谱结果表明，部分[ClO ₄ ] ^-和Li ⁺离子被俘获，然后吸附在聚合物纤维，这使得从不规则网络到紧凑的微结构形态学变化，并且所形成的包合配合物减少了电活性位点并阻断离子通道的数量，防止自由[CLO迁移₄ ] ^-从电解质。根据我们的假设，通过优化循环条件最终提高了稳定性。这项研究为提高EC材料的稳定性提供了指导。