Polyamides with butterfly-like monomer optimizing electron and ion transport for high-performance electrochromic...

The multifunctional electroactive polymers capable of integrating optical modulation, energy storage and thermal regulation are crucial to next-generation optoelectronic devices. However, color changing slowly and long-term instability obstruct the development of electrochromic (EC) materials. Specifically, the influence factor of molecular structure on on-off velocity and degradation is vague until now. To explore the intrinsic mechanism, a diamine monomer combining planar acridine with three-dimensional (3D) triphenylamine (TPA), and a series of related polyamides (PAs) were designed and synthesized. The planar acridine is used for transfer electrons, while the 3D architecture is aimed at ion diffusion. The PAs enable applications in EC supercapacitors (ECSCs), solar regulation and information encryption simultaneously. Among the PAs, AD3TPA-SA demonstrates favorable both EC and storage performance, retaining over 60% of its initial optical contrast after 1750 cycles, alongside rapid switching times (colored time t_c = 1.0 s, bleached time t_b = 0.8 s) and a high specific capacitance of 185.6 F g^-1 at 1 A g^-1. The AD3TPA-OA‖WO₃·H₂O ECSC device exhibits high optical contrast over the visible, near-infrared (NIR) and solar spectral ranges and delivers an areal capacitance of 3.38 mF cm^-2 at 0.05 mA cm^-2. Moreover, it retains more than 58% of its initial capacitance after 2000 charge-discharge cycles. Planar patterned encryption devices were further developed to offer a promising strategy to realize lightweight, integrated and dynamic anti-counterfeiting. Overall, the integration of planar and nonplanar structural units provides an effective molecular design strategy for constructing multifunctional PAs with synergistic optoelectronic capabilities.