Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Vol.188, 210-218, 2018
Triazole-based ionene exhibiting tunable structure and ionic conductivity obtained via cycloaddition reaction: A new polyelectrolyte for electrochromic devices
Main-chain poly(ionic liquid)s based on 1,2,3-triazole with pentaoxyethylene spacer was developed via copper-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition (CuAAC) of a novel azide/alkyne-terminal monomer and subsequently quatemized by alkyl halides followed by anion exchanges with several fluorinated salts. Introduction of the extended ethylene oxide fragments [-(CH2CH2O)(5)-] has made this new PIL with methyl substituent and bis (trifluoromethane)sulfonimide counteranion exhibit ionic conductivity of 1.16 x 10(-4) S cm(-1) at 30 degrees C. This new electrolyte efficiently switches an electrochromic device (ECD) with 18% optical contrast from its transparent state to a colored state in 4.75 s and while bleaching takes 11.8 s. The development of this polyelectrolyte with simple structure and excellent physical and thermal properties is promising for the design of new all-solid state energy efficient smart windows and devices and other electrochemical device applications.