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Azulene-containing conjugated polymers with near-infrared absorption up to 1.5 μm and beyond are achieved by treating with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). Density functional theory calculations reveal that the near-infrared absorption arises from a strong intramolecular charge transfer transition on the polymer backbone, and the near-infrared absorption can be tuned by the degree of protonation. Furthermore, TFA treated polymers show a ten-fold enhancement in electrochromic contrast and significantly improved switching stability, suggesting that these polymers are promising candidates for fabrication of the first generation organic near-infrared devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]