Application of Electrospun Polyacrylonıtrile(PAN) Nanofıbre Membrane Gel Electrolyte in TiO 2 -Based Electrochromic Devices

Abstract

Abstract Electrochromic devices based on nanofiber membrane gel electrolytes offer several advantages over polymer gel electrolytes. Many advantages such as high chemical stability, easy handling, less leakage, wide working temperature range, and long cycle life show high compatibility of nanofiber membrane electrolytes in different electrochemical power devices. In this work, we have succeeded in replacing the liquid electrolyte, with a nanofibre membrane-based gel electrolyte prepared by the electrospinning method and applied in Electrochromic Devices (ECD). Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) dissolved in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) was used as the electrospinning solution. PAN-based nanofibres were deposited on a spin-coated SnO2 layer, prepared on Fluorine-doped Tin Oxide (FTO) glass substrate. The electrospinning time was changed to obtain the different thicknesses of the fiber mat. Gel-type membrane electrolyte was prepared by soaking the nanofibre membrane electrode in the 1M LiClO4 in PC solution. TiO2electrochromic electrode was prepared by the “doctor blade” method. ECDs were fabricated with the configuration of FTO glass/TiO2/PAN-based nanofibre membrane gel polymer electrolyte /SnO2/FTO glass by sandwiching the two electrodes. Electrochromic performances of ECDs fabricated with nanofibre membrane electrolyte were compared with ECDs fabricated with liquid electrolyte (1 M LiClO4 in PC) and PAN gel electrolyte (PC (0.4g) + EC (0.4 g) + LiClO4 (0.03 g) + PAN). ECDs with nanofibre membrane electrolytes showed the highest transmittance variation of 33.40% in the visible region while identical ECD based on corresponding liquid electrolytes showed a transmittance variation of 35.95%.