A facile process for preparation of polyaniline/polyacrylic acid composite electrochromism films

The polyaniline was synthesized by the emulsion polymerization and the polyaniline/polyacrylic acid (PANI/PAA) composite films were prepared through a layer-by-layer method. The porous PAA layer was used as a template for the deposition of PANI, and finally the composite film showed a network structure with large surface area and high porosity. The facile process for preparation of PANI/PAA composite films was good for large-scale production and application. The electrochromic performance of the PANI/PAA composite film was investigated by means of cyclic voltammogram, chronoamperometry and transmittance measurements. The composite film showed three typical redox couples, and the response time for reduction and oxidation was 90 and 102 ms, respectively. The PANI/PAA films also exhibited remarkable electrochromism ability with a reversible color change from yellow to purple and a transmittance change from 68 to 27% at 550 nm.