Fabrication of the infrared variable emissivity electrochromic film based on polyaniline conducting polymer

In this study, camphorsulfonic acid (CSA)-doped polyaniline (PANI) films have been prepared on the surface of an Au/nylon 66 porous flexible substrate by electrochemical deposition. The feature of the research was that utilize an Au layer deposited onto a porous flexible substrate to deposite CSA-doped PANI film for modulation infrared emissivity at first time. The morphology of Au/nylon 66 flexible substrate and PANI films and the electrochromic properties of CSA-doped PANI film were investigated in detail to obtain a PANI film that possesses highly infrared modulation ability. The emissivity variation Δε was achieved as of 0.225, 0.399, and 0.426 in the wavelength ranges of 3–5, 8–12, and 2.5–25 μm, respectively. The switching times of the CSA doped-PANI film for the coloration and bleaching are 6 s and 2.5 s, respectively. The IR electrochromic film investigated in this work may find an application in IR devices for IR camouflage and thermal control.