This review article systematically highlights the recent advances regarding the design, preparation, performance and application of new and unique nanomaterials for electrochromic devices.

Due to the high energy efficiency and a wide range of potential applications in daily life, bistable electrochromic devices (BECDs) have gained extensive attention in recent years. However, poor bistability and slow response rate are the main barriers, which restrict the development of BECDs. Herein, a transparent multidimensional electrode with indium tin oxide (ITO) nanofibers and gold nanoparticles was fabricated to improve both the bistability and responsiveness of devices. Its criss-crossed ITO nanofibers with high length-to-diameter ratios to reduce the distance of heterogeneous electron transfer and its gold nanoparticles to form a stable Au–S bond to avoid self-erasing of electrochromic materials have been demonstrated and discussed systematically. This device based on the transparent multidimensional working electrode had a shorter response time (1/5) and a longer bistability (12/1) compared with the prototype devices based on common fluorine-doped tin oxide electrodes. Besides, this device had a promising electrochromic performance with a high coloration efficiency of 448.27 cm2/C and a switching stability with no significant attenuation after 1200 cycles.

A new and simple strategy towards electric-fielddriven multiple chirality switching device has been designed and fabricated by combining a newly synthesized baseresponsive chiroptical polymer switch (R-FLMA) and pbenzoquinone (p-BQ) via proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) mechanism. Clear and stable triple chirality states (silence, positive, negative) of this device in visible band can be regulated reversibly (> 1000 cycles) by adjusting voltage programs. Furthermore, such chiral switching phenomena are also accompanied by apparent changes of color and fluorescence. More importantly, the potential application of this device for a spatial light modulator has also been demonstrated.

A new and simple strategy towards electric-fielddriven multiple chirality switching device has been designed and fabricated by combining a newly synthesized baseresponsive chiroptical polymer switch (R-FLMA) and pbenzoquinone (p-BQ) via proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) mechanism. Clear and stable triple chirality states (silence, positive, negative) of this device in visible band can be regulated reversibly (> 1000 cycles) by adjusting voltage programs. Furthermore, such chiral switching phenomena are also accompanied by apparent changes of color and fluorescence. More importantly, the potential application of this device for a spatial light modulator has also been demonstrated.