Electrochromic thin films from a redox active diarylethene by electrochemical polymerization

A diarylethene substituted with 3,4-(propane-1,3-diyldioxy)thiophene (ProDOT) was synthesized to induce electrochemical deposition of diarylethenes. The ProDOT substituted diarylethene (BTFPP) showed reversible photochromism from colorless to purple upon exposure to a UV light and bleached to colorless by a visibly light. The oxidation potential of the new ProDOT substituted diarylethene was lower than that of the unsubstituted diarylethenes due to the electroactive ProDOT unit. Under an electrochemical condition, the solution of BTFPP gave soluble polymers but deposited insoluble film on a working electrode coated with a PEDOT layer. This result indicates that the PEDOT nano layer (68 nm thick) function as a seeding layer to induce polymerization and electrodeposition of BTFPP. Furthermore electro-copolymerization using a mixture of BTFPP and EDOT afforded electrodeposition of the copolymers on the PEDOT seeding layer. An electrochromic electrode was successfully fabricated by depositing the photochromic BTFPP on an ITO glass, which shows a reversible electrochromic change from violet to sky blue.