Enhanced electrochromic capacity performances of hierarchical MnO₂-polyaniline/PEDOT:PSS/Ag@Ni nanowires cathode for flexible and rechargeable electrochromic Zn-Ion battery

A dual-functional device of rechargeable electrochromic Zn-ion battery (EZiB) with advanced electrochromic and energy-storage characteristics has gained numerous attention in transparent energy-saving smart electronics. This study develops a novel enhanced electrochromic capacity electrode of hierarchical MnO₂-polyaniline (PANi) hybrid assembled on transparent PEDOT:PSS/core@shell silver@nickel nanowires (Ag@Ni NWs) thin film for EZiB fabrication. The flexible fabricated EZiB device shows remarkable electrochemical performance with a high area capacity of 0.127 mA h cm⁻² at a current density of 0.072 mA cm⁻², good optical contrast (∼67.3%), and prospective stability with 400 cycle continous working. In addition, it also exhibits an effective electrochromism with multi-color properties at different charged/discharged states, such as dark bluish-violet at +1.8 V, dark bluish-green at +1.5 V, dark green at +1.2 V, light green at +0.8 V, and transparent at +0.3 V discharged state. The achieved results highlight the viability of the hierarchical MnO₂-PANi/PEDOT:PSS/Ag@Ni NWs thin film as a potential electrochromic cathode material for the development of dual-functional EZiB device.