Electrically controllable controllable device having variable optical and/or energetic properties

• US 20040233499A1
• Filed: 06/04/2004
• Published: 11/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Original Assignee: Saint-Gobain Glass France (Compagnie De Saint-Gobain)
• Inventors: Betelle, Fabien, Dubrenat, Samuel, Giron, Jean-Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 7,002,720 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/265
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10018 comprising only one glass sheet
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10036 comprising two outer glass sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10174 Coatings of a metallic or dielectric material on a constituent layer of glass or polymer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10513 Electrochromic layer
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2327/12 containing fluorine
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3441 comprising carbon, a carbide or oxycarbide
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3452 comprising a fluoride
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/94 Transparent conductive oxide layers [TCO] being part of a multilayer coating
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/948 Layers comprising indium tin oxide [ITO]
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2323/00 Functional layers of liquid crystal optical display excluding electroactive liquid crystal layer characterised by chemical composition
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/153 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/161 Gaskets; Spacers; Sealing of cells; Filling or closing of cells

Abstract

The subject of the invention is an electrically controllable device having variable optical and/or energy properties of the electrochromic type, which comprises a functional film consisting of a layer or a stack of layers which is placed between two external substrates which meet the following criteria:

at least one is essentially transparent;

at least one is based on one (or more) film(s) based on one or more polymers;

each of them is a water vapor barrier, with a water vapor permeability of at most 1 g/m²/24 h, especially at most 0.1 g/m²/24 h.

Claims

1. An electrically controllable device having variable electronic optical properties, electronic energy properties, or both, comprising a functional film comprising a layer or a stack of layers and which is placed between two external substrates which meet the following criteria:

at least one substrate is essentially transparent;

at least one substrate comprises one or more polymer films;

each substrate is a water vapor barrier, having a water vapor permeability of at most 1 g/m²/24 h.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the two external substrates is made of glass or is a polymer film and has at least some of the layers of the functional film present thereon.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the functional film is an electrochromic film comprising at least two layers having electrochromic properties separated by an electrolyte and flanked by electrodes.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the external substrates comprises a sheet of at least one halogenated, polymer.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the polymer sheet is polychlorotrifluorethylene (PCTFE) or a derivative thereof.

6. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the sheet of halogenated polymer is surface pretreated, and is in contact on a surface pretreated face with the functional film.

7. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the external substrates comprises at least one film comprising one or more polymers, having a vapor permeability of at most 1 g/m²/24 h and one or more thin mineral layers on one face thereof.

8. The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the mineral layer is dense and is a silicon derivative an aluminum derivative or, a transparent conducting oxide layer.

9. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the external substrates includes a nanocomposite film comprising one or more mineral compounds of nanometric size having a high form factor.

10. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the external substrates includes a plurality of polymer films having different water vapor permeabilities, the combination of all of said films having an overall a water vapor permeability of less than 1 g/m²/24 h.

11. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the external substrates includes a plurality of polymer films superimposed and combined by cocalandering or coextrusion.

12. The device as claimed in claim 1, having a rigid or semi rigid structure, with at least one of the two external substrates comprising a glass, polycarbonate or polymethyl methacrylate substrate.

13. The device as claimed in claim 12, having only a single rigid or semi rigid external substrate, with a the following configuration:

rigid external substrate/optional adhesive/functional film/optional adhesive/external substrate comprising one or more flexible polymers.

14. The device as claimed in claim 1, having a flexible structure, with the two external substrates in the form of one or more films each comprising one or more flexible polymers.

15. The device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

a coating reflecting at least some of the wavelengths lying in the infrared, the ultraviolet, or both, a hydrophilic coating, a hydrophobic coating, a photocatalytic coating having antisoiling properties, an anti-reflection coating, or a coating providing magnetic shielding.

16. The device as claimed in claim 15, comprising a stack of thin layers for solar protection.

17. The device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a glazing assembly in which the functional film functions in transmission or a mirror in which the functional film functions in reflection.

18. A laminated, double or multiple glazing comprising the device as claimed in claim 1.

19. A mirror, comprising the device as claimed in claim 1.

20. The mirror as claimed in claim 19, comprising in the following sequence:

glass/functional film/reflecting coating/optional adhesive/polymer.

22. The device as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least some of the layers of the functional film are in direct contact with the external substrate or have an adhesion layer interposed between the functional layer and the external substrate.

23. The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the layers having electrochromic properties are all-solid-state electrochromic films, all-polymer electrochromic films or polymer electrolytes.

24. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the sheet is polyhalogenated.

25. The device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the polymer sheet is a PCTFE/polyvinylidene fluoride copolymer.

26. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the pretreated surface is texturized, chemically treated, electrically treated or comprises an adhesive layer.

27. The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the vapor permeability is at most 0.1 g/m²/24h.

28. The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the mineral layer is at least one selected from the group consisting of SiO₂, SiON, SiOC, Si₃N₄, AlN, Al₂O₃, a tin doped indium oxide, a doped tin oxide and a doped zinc oxide.

29. The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the nanocomposite film comprises a clay exfoliated by shear in a polymer matrix.

30. The device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the combination of all films has an overall water vapor permeability of less than 0.1 g/m²/24h.

31. The device as claimed in claim 16, comprising two silver layers.

21. (Canceled).