Porous NiO via pulsed electrodeposition towards enhanced electrochromic properties.

Herein, a facile pulse electrodeposition procedure with a 1 s off-time between pulses is reported for a successful fabrication of porous nickel oxide (NiO) films on an indium tin oxide substrate. Large transmittance modulation of 39.2% at 550 nm, fast switching speed (coloring and bleaching of 5.2 s and 2.3 s), high coloration efficiency of 20.01 cm2 C−1, and long-term stability over 750 cycles were achieved. In comparison to the NiO films synthesized by continuous electrodeposition, the porous morphology of the NiO fabricated by pulsed electrodeposition facilitates charge transfer and electrolyte infiltration, as well as reduces the expansion/shrinkage of the NiO lattice during OH− insertion/extraction, resulting in an outstanding electrochromic performance. These results show that pulsed electrodeposition is a promising method for manufacturing NiO films with enhanced EC performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]