Sub-1 V object visibility modulation with electrically reconfigurable nanofilter

Abstract

Electrical control of object visibility holds great promise for adaptive camouflage[1], smart imaging[2], and multispectral machine vision[3]. Yet, conventional electrochromic devices are largely restricted to modulating either visible color or a single band[4], limiting their practical versatility. Here, we demonstrate a dual-band bimodal electrochromic filter based on the integration of polyaniline (PANI) with embedded plasmonic gold nanoparticles. By leveraging the tunable refractive index of PANI under redox reaction[5,6], the device simultaneously modulates thin-film interference and the localized plasmon resonance of the nanoparticles in a single transmissive platform. This photonic–plasmonic coupling enables independent and dynamic control of vivid color switching in the visible range and intensity modulation in the near-infrared (NIR). Notably, the hybrid structure suppresses NIR transmittance down to 15–35% which matches with the optical intensity of natural objects, while operating at low voltage (<1 V). Experimental demonstrations using both printed patterns and real natural objects show reversible, electrically switchable camouflage and recognition in the visible, as well as tunable concealment in the NIR, covering both human and machine-vision spectral regimes. This compact device opens new avenues for hardwarelevel multispectral visibility engineering in intelligent vision systems.