Electrochemical devices with plastic substrates

• US 10,539,853 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2017
• Issued: 01/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gentex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Gentex Corporation
• Inventors: Kloeppner, Leroy J., Tonar, William L., Dozeman, Gary J., Baumann, Kelvin L., Saenger Nayver, Mario F., Petroelje, Zachary J., Denolf, Garret
• Primary Examiner(s): Tra, Tuyen
• Application Number:
  US15/672,892
• Publication Number:
  US 20170357136A1
• Time in Patent Office: 895 Days
• Field of Search: 359265-275, 345105
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/15165 Polymers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1533 structural features not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2001/1536 additional, e.g. protective, layer inside the cell
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/086 UV absorbing
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/501 Blocking layers, e.g. against migration of ions

Abstract

An electrochromic device includes a flexible plastic substrate including a front surface, and a rear surface, wherein the rear surface comprises a first conductive material; and a rigid plastic substrate including a front surface, and a rear surface, wherein the front surface comprises a second conductive material, wherein the first substrate is joined to the second substrate by a sealing member, wherein the rear surface of the first substrate and the front surface of the second substrate with the sealing member define a chamber therebetween.

Claims

1. An electrochromic device comprising:

a first substrate that is flexible or rigid and having a first shape, a first surface, and a second surface, the second surface comprising a first conductive material;

a second substrate comprising a polymer that is flexible and configured to conform to the shape of the first substrate and having a first surface and a second surface, the first surface comprising a second conductive material; and

a sealing member, joining the second surface of the first substrate to the first surface of the second substrate forming a chamber therebetween;

wherein;

the first conductive material comprises a first conductive nanowire coating, a first conductive metal mesh, or a first insulator/metal/insulator stack (IMI stack);

the first surface, the second surface, or both the first surface and the second surface of the second substrate comprises an adhesion promotion layer;

the first substrate comprises an ultraviolet light absorbing layer;

the second surface is coated with a first polymer-based electrochromic film comprising an anodic material; and

the chamber comprises a fluid medium containing a UV-curable gelling agent.

2. The electrochromic device of claim 1, wherein the first surface,

the second surface, or both the first surface and the second surface of the second substrate comprises a gas diffusion barrier.

3. The electrochromic device of claim 2, wherein the gas diffusion barrier(s) comprises a layer applied by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), a layer applied by neutral beam assisted sputtering (NBAS), a layer applied by atomic layer deposition (ALD), a co-polymer of ethylene vinyl alcohol, a polyvinyl alcohol, a polymeric film of self-assembled nanoparticles (SNAP), a multilayer barrier comprising alternating layers of organic and inorganic materials, or a multilayer barrier comprising alternating thin films of cationic and anionic polymers, or a flexible, thin glass film.

4. The electrochromic device of claims 1, wherein the first substrate, the second substrate, or both the first substrate and the second substrate comprise polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyacrylonitrile, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate, a cycloolefin polymer (COP), a cycloolefin co-polymer (COC), an acrylic, a polyamide, or an epoxy.

5. The electrochromic device of claim 1, wherein the second conductive material comprises a second conductive nanowire coating, a second conductive metal mesh, or a second IMI stack.

6. The electrochromic device of claim 5, further comprising a conductive coating overlaying either or both of the first or second conductive material.

7. The electrochromic device of claim 6, wherein the conductive coating comprises a transparent conductive oxide, carbon nanotubes, graphene, or a conductive polymer.

8. The electrochromic device of claim 1, wherein the chamber comprises a first polymer-based electrochromic film.

9. The electrochromic device of claim 8, wherein the first polymer-based electrochromic film is a first thermoplastic electrochromic film.

10. The electrochromic device of claim 9, wherein the first thermoplastic electrochromic film comprises a first electroactive material and a first thermoplastic polymer.

11. The electrochromic device of claim 10, wherein the first electroactive material is a cathodic material, and anodic material, or a mixture of a cathodic material and an anodic material.

12. The electrochromic device of claim 11, wherein the cathodic material comprises a viologen.

13. The electrochromic device of claim 11, wherein the anodic material comprises a phenazine, a phenothiazine, a triphenodithiazine, a carbazole, an indolocarbazole, a biscarbazole, or a ferrocene.

14. The electrochromic device of claim 1, wherein the adhesion promotion layer comprises a translucent layer of aluminum, titanium, copper, or chromium.

15. The electrochromic device of claim 14, wherein the adhesion promotion layer comprises a translucent layer of chromium.

16. The electrochromic device of claim 14, wherein the adhesion promotion layer has a thickness of less than 5 nm.

17. The electrochromic device of claim 16, wherein the adhesion promotion layer exhibits a transmission of greater than 50%.

18. The electrochromic device of claim 1, wherein the adhesion promotion layer comprises a polyimide.