Integration of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane nanocages into metallo-polymers: Porous nanorods engineering for bifunctional electrochromic sodium-ion supercapattery towards scalable device

Abstract

The advancement of multifunctional nanostructures through dimensional nanoarchitectonics delivers a transformative pathway towards the next-generation electrochromic device (ECD) with scalable applicability. On the other hand, the tailored integration of sodium-ion dynamics within the redox-active metallo-supramolecular polymer (MSP) reveals a new height for high-performance, durable, and scalable energy storage solutions. In this study, we achieved a dimensional modification by incorporating cubic polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane nanocages into a Ru-containing PolyRu MSP matrix, transforming the aggregated structure into a homogeneous nanorod architecture. The incorporation also influenced the surface area, thermal stability, and electrochemical activity in PolyRu-POSS composites. The electrochemical studies revealed that the PolyRu-POSS50 composite, where 50 % of chloride ions in PolyRu were exchanged with the POSS unit, exhibited the optimum electrochromic (EC) and the highest energy storage capacity with the lowest charge transfer resistance. Moreover, the sodium ion integrated PolyRu-POSS50 and NiHCF-based hybrid EC energy storage device exhibited a swift color change from red to green with a switching time of 1.1 s and 1.9 s for bleaching and coloration, respectively, a high coloration efficiency of 1032.52 cm2C−1, specific capacity of 17.45 mAhg−1, and an individual 10,000 electrochromic and charge-discharge cyclic stability. The successful development of a large-scale (100 cm2) hybrid EC energy storage device underscores the practical viability of the materials for future commercial applications.