Flexible Viologen Electrochromic Devices with Low Operational Voltages Using Reduced Graphene Oxide Electrodes

Reduced graphene oxide (RGO) films have been electrodeposited on indium tin oxide-coated polyethylene terephthalate (ITO-PET) substrates from graphene oxide (GO) solutions, and the resulting flexible transparent electrodes have been used in electrochromic devices of ethyl viologen (EtV(2+)). The electrochromic performance of devices with bare ITO-PET electrodes and ITO-PET coated with RGO has been compared. Under continuous cycling tests up to large voltages, the RGO film was oxidized and dispersed in the electrochromic mixture. The resulting devices, which contained GO and RGO in the electrochromic mixture, showed lower switching voltages between the colored and bleached states. This electrocatalytic activity of the solution-phase GO/RGO pair toward the electrochemical reaction of the electrochromic redox couple (the dication EtV(2+) and the radical cation EtV(+•)) allowed devices with an optical contrast higher than the contrast of those free of GO at the same applied voltage.