Nanostructured thin films are widely investigated for application in multifunctional devices thanks to their peculiar optoelectronic properties. In this work anatase TiO2 nanoparticles (average diameter 10 nm) synthesised by a green aqueous sol-gel route are exploited to fabricate optically active electrodes for pseudocapacitive-electrochromic devices. In our approach, highly transparent and homogeneous thin films having a good electronic coupling between nanoparticles are prepared. These electrodes present a spongy-like nanostructure in which the dimension of native nanoparticles is preserved, resulting in a huge surface area. Cyclic voltammetry studies reveal that there are significant contributions to the total stored charge from both intercalation capacitance and pseudocapacitance, with a remarkable 50% of the total charge deriving from this second effect. Fast and reversible colouration occurs, with an optical modulation of ∼60% in the range of 315–1660 nm, and a colouration efficiency of 25.1 cm2 C−1 at 550 nm. This combination of pseudocapacitance and electrochromism makes the sol-gel derived titania thin films promising candidates for multifunctional ‘smart windows’.

Pseudocapacitive behaviour in sol-gel derived electrochromic titania nanostructures

Giannuzzi R.;Pugliese M.;Gigli G.;Maiorano V.
2021-01-01

Abstract

Nanostructured thin films are widely investigated for application in multifunctional devices thanks to their peculiar optoelectronic properties. In this work anatase TiO2 nanoparticles (average diameter 10 nm) synthesised by a green aqueous sol-gel route are exploited to fabricate optically active electrodes for pseudocapacitive-electrochromic devices. In our approach, highly transparent and homogeneous thin films having a good electronic coupling between nanoparticles are prepared. These electrodes present a spongy-like nanostructure in which the dimension of native nanoparticles is preserved, resulting in a huge surface area. Cyclic voltammetry studies reveal that there are significant contributions to the total stored charge from both intercalation capacitance and pseudocapacitance, with a remarkable 50% of the total charge deriving from this second effect. Fast and reversible colouration occurs, with an optical modulation of ∼60% in the range of 315–1660 nm, and a colouration efficiency of 25.1 cm2 C−1 at 550 nm. This combination of pseudocapacitance and electrochromism makes the sol-gel derived titania thin films promising candidates for multifunctional ‘smart windows’.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11587/461455
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