Effect of particle diameter on the electro-optical property of reflective electrochromic display based on monodisperse viologen-modified polymeric microspheres

A reflective electrochromic display (R-ECD) based on viologen-modified polymeric microspheres was prepared and the influence of particle size on the electro-optical characteristics was investigated. The diameters of the viologen-modified polymeric microspheres were altered changing the solvency of the medium during the dispersion polymerization. The chloro-functionalized polymeric microspheres were produced through seeded polymerization, and then the viologen moieties reacted with the methyl chloride functional groups. It was found that the coloration efficiency and the response time of the R-ECD were significantly affected by sizes of microspheres. In addition, the R-ECD had good cyclic stability because the viologen moieties were stably grafted on the surface of the microspheres.