Research progress in conductive polymer-based electrochromic fabrics

Abstract

Conductive polymer-based electrochromic fabrics show promising applications in new intelligent displays, flexible smart wearables, and military camouflage, thanks to their flexibility, light weight, high degree of controllability, and wide range of color change. However, despite these advantages, electrochromic textiles that rely on conductive polymers face several limitations, such as discomfort during use, instability in structure, and issues with the continuous production technology of electrochromic fibers. These factors hinder their further development. To address these limitations and promote the industrialization of conductive polymer-based electrochromic fabrics, this paper provides a comprehensive analysis that covers various aspects of electrochromic devices, including device structure, color-change mechanisms, electrochromic materials, application of electrochromic textiles, and the advantages and disadvantages of commonly used conductive polymers in electrochromic fabrics. By exploring these aspects, a better understanding of the structure and performance of conductive polymer-based electrochromic fabrics can be achieved, leading to a more effective promotion of their industrialization. Moreover, progress in the research of conductive polymer-based electrochromic fabrics is systematically reviewed from the structural design perspective, both domestically and internationally. Finally, the challenges that conductive polymer-based electrochromic fabrics currently face are discussed, and their future development trends are presented.