Nanogenerator-driven self-powered electrochromic systems: Performance enhancement, interfacial-structural...

In response to the escalating global energy crisis and the urgent pursuit of carbon neutrality, the development of green energy technologies and efficient energy management systems has become a critical research focus. As a key energy-saving approach, electrochromism has attracted significant attention due to its potential in photothermal modulation, low-power displays, and integrated energy storage. However, its dependence on external power sources limits autonomous deployment and large-scale applications. Triboelectric and piezoelectric nanogenerators, which convert ambient mechanical energy into electrical energy, provide an effective solution. Their integration with electrochromic technology enables a closed-loop process from energy harvesting to energy management, thereby establishing a new paradigm of self-powered electrochromic systems (SPESs) with net-zero energy consumption during operation. This review comprehensively surveys the latest advances in SPESs. It systematically summarizes their working mechanisms and system architectures based on the synergistic advantages in energy matching, optical memory, interfacial structural integrability, functional diversity, and operational mode selection. Development strategies are discussed from three key perspectives: performance enhancement, system-level integration, and multifunctional design. Furthermore, emerging applications of SPESs in smart windows, wearable electronics, visualized sensing, human-machine interaction, and adaptive camouflage are presented. Finally, the key challenges and future directions in this field are outlined, providing guidance for the development of next-generation self-driven intelligent systems.