COATABLE CONDUCTIVE LAYER

• US 20070013829A1
• Filed: 09/20/2006
• Published: 01/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HKC Corporation Limited (Shenzhen Huike Investment Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Martin, Terry, Stephenson, Stanley, Brick, Mary
• Granted Patent: US 8,085,363 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/86
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 5/24 Electrically-conducting paints conductive materials H01B1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13439 characterised by their electrical, optical, physical properties; materials therefor; method of making
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13718 based on a change of the texture state of a cholesteric liquid crystal
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 1/22 the conductive material comprising metals or alloys

Abstract

The invention relates to a patternable coatable electrically conductive layer comprising a fluid-coated electrically conductive material, wherein the fluid-coated electrically conductive material has sufficient conductivity to induce an electric field strong enough to change the optical state of a light modulating material and a display comprising a substrate, at least one patternable coatable electrically conductive layer comprising a fluid-coated electrically conductive material, wherein said fluid coated electrically conductive material has sufficient conductivity to induce an electric field strong enough to change the optical state of a light modulating material which has a first and a second field-switched stable optical state, and an imaging layer comprising said light modulating material disposed over said at least one patternable fluid-coated electrically conductive layer. The invention also relates to a method for making a coatable electrically conductive layer and a method for making a display with a coatable electrically conductive layer.

Claims

1. A display comprising a substrate, at least one patternable coatable electrically conductive layer comprising fluid-coated electrically conductive silver particles, wherein said fluid-coated electrically conductive silver particles have sufficient conductivity to induce an electric field strong enough to change the optical state of a light modulating material and wherein said fluid-coated electrically conductive silver particles have a size distribution having 90 percent of the particles less than 5 microns in diameter, and an imaging layer comprising said light modulating material disposed over said at least one patternable fluid-coated electrically conductive layer, wherein said light modulating material has a first and a second field-switched stable optical state.

2. The display of claim 1 wherein the imaging layer contains a polymer dispersed cholesteric liquid crystal layer.

3. The display of claim 2 wherein said cholesteric liquid crystal layer comprises fluid dispersed domains which have been dried to form said polymer dispersed cholesteric liquid crystal layer.

4. The display of claim 1 wherein said at least one patternable fluid-coated electrically conductive layer is applied from an aqueous dispersion dried to form said patternable fluid-coated electrically conductive layer.

5. The display of claim 1 wherein said fluid comprises water.

6. The display of claim 1 wherein said fluid comprises organic solvent.

7. The display of claim 1 wherein said fluid-coated electrically conductive silver particles have a diameter of less than 1 micron.

8. The display of claim 1 wherein said fluid-coated electrically conductive silver particles comprise metal flakes.

9. The display of claim 1 wherein said fluid-coated electrically conductive silver particles have a diameter of less than 50 nm.

10. The display of claim 1 wherein said fluid-coated electrically conductive silver particles are less than 10 cubic micron across the major length.

11. The display of claim 1 wherein said at least one patternable coatable electrically conductive layer further comprises a binder.

12. The display of claim 11 wherein said binder comprises gelatin.

13. The display of claim 11 wherein said binder is water soluble.

14. The display of claim 1 wherein said display further comprises at least a second patternable coatable electrically conductive layer comprising a fluid-coated electrically conductive material, wherein said fluid-coated electrically conductive material has sufficient conductivity to induce an electric field strong enough to change the optical state of a light modulating material.

15. The display of claim 1 further comprising a radiation absorbing layer.

16. A method for making a display comprising:

providing a substrate;

coating a light modulating layer; and

coating a coatable electrically conductive layer comprising a fluid-coated electrically conductive material, wherein said fluid-coated electrically conductive material has sufficient conductivity to induce an electric field strong enough to change the optical state of a light modulating material.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said light modulating material is between said substrate and said coatable electrically conductive layer.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said coating said light modulating material is performed prior to said coating of said coatable electrically conductive layer.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein said coating said light modulating material is performed simultaneously to said coating of said coatable electrically conductive layer.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising coating a light absorbing layer.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said coating said light absorbing layer is simultaneous with said coating said light modulating material and said coating of said coatable electrically conductive layer.

22. The method of claim 16 further comprising coating a second patternable coatable electrically conductive layer comprising a fluid-coated electrically conductive material, wherein said fluid-coated electrically conductive material has sufficient conductivity to induce an electric field strong enough to change the optical state of a light modulating material, simultaneously to said coating of said fluid-coated electrically conductive layer and said coating of said light modulated material.

23. The method of claim 16 further comprising coating a second patternable coatable electrically conductive layer comprising a fluid-coated electrically conductive material, wherein said fluid-coated electrically conductive material has sufficient conductivity to induce an electric field strong enough to change the optical state of a light modulating material, and prior to said coating said light modulating material.

24. The method of claim 16 wherein said coating comprises slide coating.

25. The method of claim 16 wherein said light modulating material comprises a liquid crystal material.

26. The method of claim 16 wherein said fluid-coated electrically conductive material comprises particles.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein said particles comprise silver particles.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein said silver particles have a diameter of less than 1 micron.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein said silver particles are less than 10 cubic microns across the major length.

30. The method of claim 27 wherein said particles have a size distribution having 90 percent of the particles less than 2 microns in diameter.

31. The method of claim 26 wherein said particles comprise carbon.

32. The method of claim 26 wherein said particles comprise metal flakes.

33. The method of claim 26 wherein said particles have a diameter of less than 1 micron.

34. The method of claim 26 wherein said particles have a diameter of less than 50 nm.

35. The method of claim 16 wherein said conductive material comprises organic conductor.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein said organic conductor comprises polypyrrole.

37. The method of claim 16 wherein said conductive layer comprises a conductive polymer.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein said conductive polymer comprises polythiophene.