Abstract:

Electrochromism is a typical multidisciplinary crossing research field, involving organic and inorganic materials, physics and chemistry, electronics and optics, testing and controlling and packaging technologies, solar energy and radiation spectral modulation and energy conservation, color and thermal controlling, and many other basic and applied researches. In recent years, electrochromism researches exhibits a colorful and exciting revival trend, especially after many Chinese scientists and companies came into this field. It brings vitality into the international electrochromism research community, which has been a little tranquil for many years. This conclusion can be detected from comparison of the participants number in international and domestic professional academic electrochromic conferences. The bi-annually International Meeting on Electrochomism-IME has been held the 13th session until now, with the number of participants remaining around 150 in recent several times. But for the two-yearly Chinese Meeting on Electrochromism-CME, the number of participants has been quickly increasing from 26 at the 1st, 150 at the 2nd, 178 at the 3rd, to 352 at the 4th CME held in August 2019. Both Chinese academics and industries are very interested in electrochromism. Each CME participants are composed of a third from academic researchers, a third from graduate students, and a third from industries.

In March 2020, commissioned by editorial board of Journal of Inorganic Materials, Prof. WANG Jinmin and I organized the special issue (Electrochromic Materials and Devices) for the Journal. It was the exact and tough period when COVID-19 epidemic ravaged in Wuhan, the whole China and then in Europe. Our scientists and graduate students were working even harder in order to fight against the epidemic with great solidarity and simultaneously to contribute and devote to our beloved motherland. Our electrochromism colleagues strongly support and cooperate, actively contributing manuscripts. As a result, series of the work such as manuscripts invitation and submission and reviews etc., had been progressing very smoothly. We had early planned to publish just one issue, but received much more manuscripts with quite high quality, and finally decided to publish two special issues with permission of the journal’s editorial.

We have invited the most prestigious research groups in China to contribute to our special issue, and they are all leaders in the field of inorganic electrochromism researches. It is expected that these professional academic works can further promote the vigorous development of electrochromic research and industrialization technologies in China. On behalf of my colleagues in the field of electrochromism, I would like to express my sincere thanks and respect to the authors and editors who have made outstanding contributions to the special issue’s publication.