Electrochromic Fabric Displays from a Robust, Open‐Air Fabrication Technique

Abstract

Abstract Current wearable technology is often bulky and restrictive to fluid movement. This work details a single‐layer, hydrophobic, printed electrochromic textile that switches wirelessly from red to blue with a switching speed ≈30 s. Using a hole‐through fabrication method, the flexible devices offer aesthetics to the display by concealing all electronic connections on their backsides while maintaining their “fabric” feel. First, an all organic electrochromic planar textile device is fabricated by screen printing commercially available poly (3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly (styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT: PSS) onto finished poly (ethylene therephthalate) (PET) synthetic leather. A copolymer of 3,4‐bis(2‐ethylhexyloxy) thiophene and 3,4 dimethoxythiophene is then spray coated onto the printed PEDOT:PSS electrodes and the resulting device switched between red and blue at −1 and 2 V, respectively. A device is made to be hydrophobic by spray coating with a commercially available fabric protector. The electrochromic devices show promise for flexible display applications in any textile‐based markets, such as adaptive camouflage.