Synthesis and characterization of novel P3HT-CuO composites for their application in electrochromic devices

Novel poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT)-copper oxide (CuO) composites were synthesized. The influence of the synthesis method (in-situ oxidation and simple mixing) and CuO concentration (3, 5, and 8 wt% CuO) on the properties of the composite was investigated. CuO was synthesized using the chemical bath technique. P3HT, CuO and P3HT-CuO composites were characterized by FT-IR, UV-Vis, XRD, FESEM and cyclic voltammetry. With the incorporation of CuO in P3HT it was possible to increase the absorbance using the synthesis method by simple mixture, however, by the in-situ method the absorbance was reduced. Likewise, with the incorporation of CuO in P3HT in both methods, the charge storage in the polymeric films increased. The composites showed enhanced electrochromic properties, which depend on the CuO concentration in the composites. The obtained composites were tested in single electrochromic devices using the ITO/(P3HT or COMPOSITE)/ELECTROLYTE/ ITO configuration. It is shown that with the incorporation of CuO in P3HT the optical contrast can be increased, depending on both the synthesis method and the CuO concentration in the composites.