title: Near-infrared responsive conjugated polymers to 1.5 μm and beyond: synthesis and electrochromic switching application.
abstract: Azulene-containing conjugated polymers with near-infrared absorption up to 1.5 μm and beyond are achieved by treating with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). Density functional theory calculations reveal that the near-infrared absorption arises from a strong intramolecular charge transfer transition on the polymer backbone, and the near-infrared absorption can be tuned by the degree of protonation. Furthermore, TFA treated polymers show a ten-fold enhancement in electrochromic contrast and significantly improved switching stability, suggesting that these polymers are promising candidates for fabrication of the first generation organic near-infrared devices.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), 3 Research Link, Singapore.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Guoqiang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Tingting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xuehong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: FuKe
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chaobin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: He