Smart windows capable of dynamically controlling light transmission are gaining increasing attention as a means of reducing building energy consumption while improving indoor comfort. However, indium tin oxide (ITO), the most widely used transparent electrode in such devices, suffers from poor mechanical flexibility due to its intrinsic brittleness, limiting its use in curved or flexible window applications. Here, we demonstrate a flexible ITO/DPP hybrid transparent electrode, fabricated by depositing a dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)-doped PEDOT:PSS (DPP) layer on ITO, that achieves markedly improved bending durability while maintaining electro-optical performance comparable to bare ITO. The hybrid electrode with an optimized DPP thickness of 120 nm exhibited a sheet resistance of 23.3 Ω/sq., about 20% lower than that of ITO (29 Ω/sq.), while maintaining comparable visible-range transmittance. A polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) device fabricated with this electrode showed only a slight decline in driving voltage and transmittance relative to ITO. Notably, its resistance change under repeated bending at a curvature radius of 30 mm was only 25.1%, less than half that of ITO (51.6%). These results suggest that the ITO/DPP hybrid electrode is a promising candidate for transparent electrodes in curved and flexible smart windows and other flexible optoelectronic devices.

Novel self-illuminated smart windows were fabricated consisting of Cu-doped ZnS (ZnS:Cu) powder and polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC). This smart window shows not only switchable transparency but also self-illumination without any attachable luminous body. Its electro-optical characteristics, transmittance, and luminance were investigated in relation to various applied voltages and composition ratios. The optical transmittance and luminous intensity increased with increasing applied voltages. However, the optical transmittance decreased with increasing ZnS:Cu powder content. One of the self-illuminated smart windows, which was fabricated with 9 wt% of ZnS:Cu, achieved the optical transmittance of 60.5% (at 550 nm) and the luminance of 11.0 cd/m² at 100 V. This smart window could be used as a normal switchable smart window in daytime and light-emitting signage at night.