Preparation and electrochromic property of covalently bonded WO3/polyvinylimidazole core-shell microspheres

Covalently bonded WO3/polyvinylimidazole (C-WO3/PVI) core-shell microspheres in sizes of 250 nm were prepared. The microstructures of C-WO3/PVI core-shell microspheres were characterized by TEM, IR, and XRD. It is found that the chemical and thermal stabilities of C-WO3/PVI core-shell microspheres are higher than those of pure WO3 nanoparticles and noncovalently bonded WO3/polyvinylimidazole (NC-WO3/PVI) core-shell microspheres. This is attributed to the strengthened interaction of the WO3 nanoparticle core and the PVI shell resulting from the interaction of covalent bonds. The electrochromic device made by the C-WO3/PVI core-shell microspheres was studied. It is suggested that the C-WO3/PVI core-shell microspheres exhibit better electrochromic properties than pure WO3 nanoparticles or NC-WO3/PVI core-shell microspheres.