Compositions, methods and systems for making and using electronic paper

• US 20050079386A1
• Filed: 10/01/2004
• Published: 04/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Board of Regents of the University of Texas System (University of Texas System)
• Original Assignee: Board of Regents of the University of Texas System (University of Texas System)
• Inventors: Brown, R. Malcolm Jr., Shah, Jay
• Application Number:
  US10/957,258
• Publication Number:
  US 20050079386A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/690
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133305 Flexible substrates, e.g. plastics, organic film
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/15 based on an electrochromic effect

Abstract

The present invention is a device, method and system for making a display and displaying information that includes a fibrous organic substrate, e.g., a cellulose or cellulose substrate, and a variable reflectivity dye disposed in the fibrous substrate, wherein the reflectivity of the dye is modulated in situ. The display device may use a dye selected from an electrochromic, a thermochromic, a magnetochromic, an ionochromic, a light sensitive, a fluorescent, a fluorescent effect energy transfer dye or combinations thereof and may be used as high storage, high contrast and/or high definition paper.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a fibrous organic substrate; and

a variable reflectivity dye disposed in the fibrous substrate, wherein the reflectivity of the dye is modulated in situ.

2. The display device of claim 1, wherein the dye comprises an electrochromic, a thermochromic, a magnetochromic, an ionochromic, a light sensitive, a fluorescent, a fluorescent effect energy transfer dye or combinations thereof.

3. The display device of claim 1, wherein the fibrous organic substrate comprises cellulose.

4. The display device of claim 1, wherein the fibrous organic substrate comprises a microorganism-produced cellulose.

5. The display device of claim 4, wherein the microorganism comprises a member of the genus Acetobacter (now referred to as Gluconoacetobacter).

6. The display device of claim 1, wherein the cellulose derivative is at least one of carboxymethylcellulose, methylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose.

7. The display device of claim 1, wherein the substrate is optically transparent.

8. The display device of claim 1, wherein the substrate is optically opaque.

9. The display device of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises microfibrillar cellulose that is wet, partially wet, dry, anhydrous, hydrated, coated or uncoated at a submicron thickness.

10. The display device of claim 1, wherein the substrate is electrically conductive.

11. The display device of claim 1, wherein the substrate further comprises wordlines and bitlines.

12. The display device of claim 1, wherein the dye in the substrate forms an array.

13. The display device of claim 1, wherein the display device comprises a bulletin board, a billboard or a whiteboard.

14. The display device of claim 1, wherein the display device is flexible.

15. The display device of claim 1, further comprising a computer that controls the location and extent of dye reflectivity.

16. The display device of claim 1, wherein the dye comprises a dialkyl derivatives of 4,4′

-bipyridinium salts, WO₃, MoO₃, Prussian blue (PB, iron III-hexacyanoferrate II), tetrathiafulvalene (TTF), V₂O₅, Nb₂O₅, TiO₂, IrO₂, NiO_x, CO₂O₃ or combinations thereof.

20. The array of claim 1, comprising at least 3000 of the positionally distinguishable regions per cm² attached to the solid substrate.

17. An array comprising a substrate and one or more positionally distinguishable variable reflectivity dye regions attached to the substrate of at least about 100 regions per cm².

18. The array of claim 17, comprising at least 300 of the positionally distinguishable regions per cm² attached to the substrate.

19. The array of claim 17, comprising at least 1000 of the positionally distinguishable regions per cm² attached to the solid substrate.

21. The array of claim 17, comprising at least 10,000 of the positionally distinguishable regions per cm² attached to the solid substrate.

22. The array or claim 17, comprising at least 30,000 of the positionally distinguishable regions per cm² attached to the solid substrate.

23. The array of claim 17, comprising at least 100,000 of the positionally distinguishable regions per cm² attached to the solid substrate.

24. The array of claim 17, wherein the attached dyes further comprise at least 3 different colors.

25. The array of claim 17, wherein the substrate comprises a surface area of a standard paper size.

26. The array of claim 17, wherein the solid substrate has a surface area of less than 11 cm2.

27. The array of claim 17, wherein the substrate comprises a fibrous organic substrate.

28. The array of claim 17, wherein the substrate comprises cellulose.

29. The array of claim 17, wherein the solid substrate comprises a polymeric organic substrate.

30. A system for displaying information comprising:

a fibrous organic substrate having a substrate display surface; and

an array comprising one or more positionally distinguishable and modulatable variable reflectivity dye regions.

31. The system of claim 30, further comprising a control logic constructed and arranged to modulate the intensity of the dye to the one or more regions.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the control logic further comprises a power source.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein the power source comprises at least one solar cell, one battery, one flexible battery or combinations thereof.

34. The system of claim 30, further comprising a connection to a power source.

35. The system of claim 30, wherein the control circuitry is removeably affixed to the substrate.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the control circuitry is independent of the substrate and the dye regions within the substrate are modulated as the substrate is scanned past the control circuitry.

37. The system of claim 30, wherein the control circuitry is permanently affixed to the substrate.

38. The system of claim 30, wherein the control circuitry is at least partially embedded in the substrate.

39. The system of claim 30, wherein the substrate comprises two or more layers and the control circuitry is at least partially interposed between two of the layers.

40. The system of claim 30, further comprising a speaker so constructed and arranged to receive speaker information from the control circuitry.

41. The system of claim 30, further comprising a sensor so constructed and arrange to provide sensing information to the control circuitry and the sensor control circuitry is so constructed and arranged to receive sensor information.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein the sensor can sense light, motion, magnetic, electric, temperature, sound or pressure changes.

43. The system of claim 30, further comprising one or more input selection regions so constructed and arranged to provide selection information to the control circuitry wherein the control circuitry is so constructed and arranged to receive and respond to the input selection.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein the input selection comprises at least one selection button.

45. The system of claim 30, further comprising a light sensor connected to the control circuitry, the light sensor so constructed and arranged to receive light information from a light source, wherein the control circuitry responds to the light information by modulating the intensity of the dye.

46. The system of claim 45, wherein the light information is from an LED, laser, incandescent or fluorescent light.

47. The system of claim 30, further comprising a communication interface for communicating with the control circuitry.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein the communication interface comprises a network interface.

49. The system of claim 47, wherein the communication interface comprises a wire, fiber, IR or RF connector.

50. The system of claim 30, wherein the substrate is flexible.

51. The system of claim 30, wherein the substrate is planar.

52. The system of claim 30, wherein the substrate is a semiconductor substrate.

53. The system of claim 31, wherein the control logic further comprises a capacitance coupled-device that modulates the reflectivity of the dye.

54. The system of claim 30, wherein the dye comprises a dialkyl derivatives of 4,4′

-bipyridinium salts, WO₃, MoO₃, Prussian blue (PB, iron III-hexacyanoferrate II), tetrathiafulvalene (TTF), V₂O₅, Nb₂O₅, TiO₂, IrO₂, NiO_x, CO₂O₃ or combinations thereof.

55. A display system comprising:

a fibrous organic substrate having a substrate display surface;

an array comprising one or more positionally distinguishable variable reflectivity dye regions; and

a control logic so constructed and arranged to modulate the intensity of the dye to the one or more regions.

56. The system of claim 55, wherein the dye comprises an electrochromic, a thermochromic, a magnetochromic, an ionochromic, a light sensitive, a fluorescent, a fluorescent effect energy transfer dye or combinations thereof.

57. The system of claim 55, wherein the fibrous organic substrate comprises crystalline native cellulose I, regenerated cellulose II, nematic ordered cellulose, a glucan chain association, chitin, curdlan, β

-1,3glucan, chitosan, cellulose acetate, polysaccharide, glycoprotein and combinations thereof.

58. The system of claim 55, wherein the fibrous organic substrate comprises a microorganism-produced cellulose.

59. The system of claim 58, wherein the microorganism comprises a Gluconoacetobacter sp. (formerly Acetobacter sp.).

60. The system of claim 55, wherein the cellulose derivative is at least one of carboxymethylcellulose, methylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose or combinations thereof.

61. The system of claim 55, wherein the substrate is optically transparent.

62. The system of claim 55, wherein the substrate is optically opaque.

63. The system of claim 55, wherein the modified cellulose is characterized further as being highly absorbent.

64. The system of claim 55, wherein the substrate is electrically conductive.

65. The system of claim 55, wherein the substrate further comprises wordlines and bitlines connected to the control logic.

66. The system of claim 55, wherein the dye in the substrate forms an array.

67. The system of claim 55, wherein the dye comprises a dialkyl derivatives of 4,4′

-bipyridinium salts, WO₃, MoO₃, Prussian blue (PB, iron III-hexacyanoferrate II), tetrathiafulvalene (TTF), V₂O₅, Nb₂O₅, TiO₂, IrO₂, NiO_x, Co₂O₃ or combinations thereof.

68. A device comprising

an insulative cellulose substrate;

and

one or more regions disposed on the insulative cellulose substrate that are electrically conductive the regions being electrically isolated from each other by substantial electrical impedance through the insulative substrate and between the conductive regions, wherein the regions establish independent electronically functional structures for the performance of resistive, reactive and active signal modification functions.

69. A method of making a cellulose-based integrated circuit comprising:

forming a cellulose substrate;

implanting a partially conductive field in the cellulose substrate;

forming an electrically insulative layer on the conductive field; and

forming a conductive layer on the electrically insulative layer to form a gate about the field.

70. A capacitor comprising:

a first and a second plate, wherein at least one of the plates comprises an electrically conductive cellulose; and

a non-conductive cellulose layer disposed between the first and second plates.

71. A paper battery comprising:

a first and a second plate; and

a conductive cellulose layer disposed between the first and second plates, whereby an electric potential is stored between the first and plates.

72. An isolated and purified synthetic cellulose layer that is less than or about 1 micron in thickness.

73. The cellulose of claim 72, further comprising an ionic salt coating.

74. The cellulose of claim 72, further comprising an ionic salt coating comprising LiCl.

75. The cellulose of claim 72, wherein the cellulose comprises a microfibrillar cellulose substrate that is wet, partially wet, dry, anhydrous, hydrated, coated or uncoated at a submicron thickness.

76. The cellulose of claim 72, wherein the cellulose comprises a crystalline native cellulose I, regenerated cellulose II, nematic ordered cellulose, a glucan chain association, chitin, curdlan, β

-1,3glucan, chitosan, cellulose acetate, polysaccharide, glycoprotein and combinations thereof.

77. The cellulose of claim 72, wherein the cellulose is conductive.

78. The cellulose of claim 72, wherein the cellulose comprises a resistance ranging from 1k-ohms to 30 megaohms.

79. An isolated and purified synthetic conductive cellulose coated with a conductive ion.

80. A rewritable display system comprising:

a fibrous organic substrate having a substrate display surface;

a stylus that is positioned at or about a switchable dye;

an array comprising one or more positionally distinguishable variable switchable dye regions; and

a control logic so constructed and arranged to modulate the intensity of the dye to the one or more regions.

81. The system of claim 80, wherein the dye comprises an electrochromic, a thermochromic, a magnetochromic, an ionochromic, a light sensitive, a fluorescent, a fluorescent effect energy transfer dye or combinations thereof.

82. The system of claim 80, wherein the underlying substrate is impregnated with PEG-KCl, LiCl-methanol or Carbon-nanotubes.

83. The system of claim 80, wherein input from the stylus changes one or more dyes thereby producing color.

84. The system of claim 83, wherein the colors are formed by combinations of two or more of the following dyes:

WO₃, NiO_xH_y, V₂O₅, iron hexacyanoferrate, methyl viologen, polyaniline, polypyrrole, PEDOT, lutetium bis-phthalocyanine, salts and mixtures thereof.

85. The system of claim 81, wherein switchable dye comprises one or more pixels.

86. The system of claim 80, wherein switchable dye comprises one or more pixels that are LiCl-methanol-based.

87. The system of claim 85, wherein the one or more pixels are electrically connected using carbon nanotubes.

88. The system of claim 85, wherein the one or more pixels are electrically connected using carbon nanotubes in a PEG base.

89. A display system comprising:

a fibrous substrate comprising a first and a second portion, wherein the first portion displays information and the second portion comprises a control system; and

an array comprising one or more positionally distinguishable and modulatable variable reflectivity dye regions, wherein the intensity of the dye is under the control of the control system.

90. The system of claim 89, wherein the first and second portions are in-plane.

91. The system of claim 89, wherein the first portion comprises a display surface and the second portion is opposite the display surface.

92. The system of claim 89, wherein the first and second portions are substantially adjacent.

93. The system of claim 89, wherein the dye intensity in the first portion is rewritable.

94. The system of claim 89, wherein the first portion is a rewritable learning tool for children, a map, a wallpaper, a street sign, a billboard, a newspaper, a book, a computer screen, a glass, a wall, a sheet or combinations thereof.

95. A molecular display system comprising:

a nanofiber;

an electrochromic dye molecule disposed on or about the nanofiber; and

a nanotube control system that controls the intensity of the electrochromic dye.

96. An in-plane display system comprising:

a fibrous substrate comprising an in-plane first and a second portions, wherein the first portion displays information and the second portion comprises a control system; and

an array comprising one or more positionally distinguishable and modulatable variable reflectivity dye regions, wherein the intensity of the dye is under the control of the control system using radio frequency.

97. The system of claim 96, wherein the radio frequency is in the megahertz to gigahertz range.

98. The system of claim 96, wherein the radio frequency is in the reverse direction from a current that creates a radio frequency field that modulates the variable reflectivity dye region.

99. The system of claim 96, wherein the display system is coated with a perfluorooctane sulfonate layer.

100. An integrated circuit comprising:

one or more inductive electrical components integrated disposed on a cellulose substrate; and

a variable reflectivity dye disposed at or about the inductive electrical components, wherein activation of the inductive electrical component causes the variable reflectivity dye to change intensity.

101. The integrated circuit of claim 100, wherein the inductive electrical components comprise a dense array.

102. The integrated circuit of claim 100, wherein the inductive electrical components comprises a passive component device.

103. The integrated circuit of claim 100, wherein the inductive electrical components comprise a dense array that comprises individually controllable passive component devices.

104. The integrated circuit of claim 100, wherein the inductive electrical components comprises one or more individually controllable passive component device.

105. The integrated circuit of claim 100, wherein the inductive electrical components comprises a passive component device that comprises a spiral inductor.

106. The integrated circuit of claim 100, wherein the conductive cellulose comprises bacterial cellulose.

107. A method of making an integrated circuit comprising the step of:

forming at least one inductive electrical component integrated on or about a cellulose substrate and a variable intensity dye.

108. The method of claim 107, wherein the inductive electrical component is an RF passive component.

109. The method of claim 107, wherein the inductive electrical components comprise a dense array.

110. The method of claim 107, wherein the inductive electrical components comprises a passive component device.

111. The method of claim 107, wherein the inductive electrical components comprise a dense array that comprises individually controllable passive component devices.

112. The method of claim 107, wherein the inductive electrical components comprises one or more individually controllable passive component device.

113. The method of claim 107, wherein the inductive electrical components comprises a passive component device that comprises a spiral inductor.

114. The method of claim 107, wherein the conductive cellulose comprises bacterial cellulose.

115. A display system comprising:

a cellulose substrate;

one or more RF induced integrated circuits disposed at the cellulose substrate; and

one or more variable intensity dyes, wherein dye intensity is under the control of the RF induced integrated circuits.

116. The display system of claim 115, further comprising an adhesive disposed on the cellulose substrate.

117. The display system of claim 115, wherein the RF induced integrated circuits form an array.

118. The display system of claim 115, wherein one RF induced integrated circuit is a feature, and wherein the RF induced integrated features are disposed in an array comprising greater that 300 features per inch.

119. The display system of claim 115, further comprising a controller that addresses individually the one or more RF induced integrated circuits.

120. The display system of claim 115, further comprising a controller that addresses remotely the one or more RF induced integrated circuits.

121. The display system of claim 115, further comprising a controller that addresses remotely and individually the one or more RF induced integrated circuits.

122. A display system that requires no internal power source comprising:

a cellulose substrate;

one or more RF induced integrated circuits disposed at the cellulose substrate; and

one or more variable intensity dyes, wherein dye intensity is controlled by the RF induced integrated circuits and power is provided to the RF induced integrated circuit from a remote source.

123. A display system comprising high definition paper.

124. A display comprising a high storage density, high contrast cellulose substrate.

125. The display of claim 124, further comprising a perfluorooctane sulfonate layer disposed on the substrate.

126. The display of claim 124, wherein the cellulose substrate comprises native cellulose from any source such trees, cotton, any vascular plant, any non-vascular plant such as algae, mosses, liverworts, any animal that synthesizes cellulose, such as tunicates or sea squirts, any prokaryotic organism, such as cyanobacteria, purple bacteria, archaebacteria, any derivatized form of cellulose such as cellulose nitrate, acetate, carboxymethylcellulose, native crystalline cellulose, cellulose I, cellulose I alpha allomorph, cellulose I beta allomorph, processed crystalline celluloses, such as cellulose II non crystalline cellulose, such as nematic ordered cellulose (NOC) and combinations thereof.

127. A method of making a high resolution quantum dot display comprising:

forming a cellulose substrate with one or more semiconductor template peptides to form a cellulose-peptide complex; and

growing one or more semiconductor quantum dots at the peptides.

128. The method of claim 127, wherein the peptides are complexed with the cellulose substrate by growing the cellulose substrate in the presence of the peptides.

129. The method of claim 127, wherein the peptides are complexed with the cellulose substrate by depositing the peptides on the cellulose substrate.

130. The method of claim 127, wherein the semiconductor template peptide is selected by binding to a predetermined face specificity semiconductor material.

131. The method of claim 127, wherein the semiconductor template peptide directs the formation of a predetermined face specificity semiconductor material upon exposure to a first ion to create a semiconductor material precursor and a second ion to the semiconductor material precursor, wherein the polymeric organic material directs formation of the predetermined face specificity semiconductor material.

132. The method of claim 127, wherein the semiconductor template peptide may be a peptide of between about 7 and 20 amino acids.

133. The method of claim 127, wherein the semiconductor material is polycrystalline.

134. The method of claim 127, wherein the semiconductor material is single crystalline.

135. The method of claim 127, wherein the semiconductor material comprises a Group II-IV semiconductor material.

136. The method of claim 127, wherein the semiconductor material is zinc sulfide and the solutions are zinc chloride and sodium sulfide.

137. The method of claim 127, wherein the semiconductor material is cadmium sulfide and the solutions are cadmium chloride and sodium sulfide.

138. A method of making a cellulose substrate comprising the step of:

depositing on a cellulose substrate one or more variable intensity dyes.

139. A method of making a high definition display comprising the steps of:

depositing on one or more cellulose nanofibrils one or more dyes.

140. A cellulose display device comprising:

a memory cell with a polysilicon-to-substrate storage capacitor, the memory cell comprising;

a single CMOS transistor having an inherent junction capacitor and electrically connected to the polysilicon-to-substrate storage capacitor;

a bit-line providing data to the memory cell;

a word address line; and

a cellulose substrate comprising one or more variable intensity dye regions.

141. The cellulose display device of claim 140, wherein the polysilicon-to-substrate capacitor encircles individually each the one or more variable intensity dye regions.

142. The cellulose display device of claim 140, wherein the area of the polysilicon-to-substrate capacitor takes up the majority of an area of the one or more variable intensity dye regions.

143. The cellulose display device of claim 140, wherein a majority of a stored charge is stored on the polysilicon to-substrate capacitor.

144. The cellulose display device of claim 140, wherein the polysilicon-to-substrate capacitor electrically is in parallel with the inherent junction capacitor.

145. The cellulose display device of claim 140, wherein an implant is applied to provide a flat band voltage operating range from −

5 to +5 volts for the polysilicon-to-substrate capacitor.

146. The cellulose display device of claim 140, wherein a signal to the bit address line is inverted.

147. The cellulose display device of claim 140, wherein the mirror address node is located at a center of the memory cell.

148. The cellulose display device of claim 140, further comprising an array of the memory/dye cells.

149. The cellulose display device of claim 140, further comprising reset electrodes positioned by the one or more variable intensity dye regions.