Enhanced electrochromic properties of hybrid P3HT/WO3 composites with multiple colorations

• P3HT/WO3 composites were successfully fabricated.
• Highly enhanced electrochemical properties were achieved for P3HT/WO3 composites.
• The P3HT/WO3 composites exhibited multiple electrochromic colorations.
• The response time of the P3HT/WO3 composites was greatly improved during coloration.

We investigated the enhanced electrochemical and electrochromic properties of P3HT (poly 3-hexylthiophene)/WO3 composites. Nanoporous WO3 layers were prepared using electrochemical anodization. P3HT was spin coated on these layers to obtain hybrid P3HT/WO3 composites. After annealing at 300 °C for 1 h, the monoclinic phase of the WO3 layer and self-organized lamella structure of P3HT were examined. The P3HT/WO3 composites exhibited enhanced current densities and three different reflective colors with a combination of pristine P3HT and WO3 during the redox reaction. Furthermore, the composites exhibited faster switching speeds compared with WO3 layers, which might be attributed to the easy Li+ insertion/extraction resulting from the incorporation of P3HT.