ORGANIC-INORGANIC COMPOSITE MATERIAL AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE SAME, AND FUNCTIONAL ELECTRODE AND FUNCTIONAL DEVICE

• US 20090002802A1
• Filed: 09/04/2008
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Hirano, Shigenobu, Shibuya, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,830,584 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/273
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 9/02 Organic tenebrescent materials
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/155 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31663 As siloxane, silicone or silane

Abstract

The present invention provides an organic-inorganic composite material containing a metal oxide, and a functional organic material located on the metal oxide, wherein the functional organic material and the metal oxide are bound via a silanol bond. An aspect that the silanol bond is formed by reacting a silane coupling agent with the metal oxide, and an aspect that the silane coupling agent has a reactive terminal are preferred. The present invention also provides a display electrode for electrochromic display device and electrode for photoelectric conversion device using the organic-inorganic composite material, an electrochromic display device using the display electrode and a photoelectric conversion device using the electrode.

Claims

1. An organic-inorganic composite material comprising:

a metal oxide; and

a functional organic material located on the metal oxide,

wherein the functional organic material and the metal oxide are bound via a silanol bond.

2. The organic-inorganic composite material according to claim 1, wherein the silanol bond is formed by reacting a silane coupling agent with the metal oxide.

3. The organic-inorganic composite material according to claim 2, wherein the silane coupling agent has a reactive terminal.

4. The organic-inorganic composite material according to claim 3, wherein the reactive terminal has a structure selected from the following formulas:

5. The organic-inorganic composite material according to claim 2, wherein the silane coupling agent is a trichlorosilane compound.

6. The organic-inorganic composite material according to claim 2, wherein the silane coupling agent is a trialkoxysilane compound.

7. The organic-inorganic composite material according to claim 2, wherein the silane coupling agent is a monochlorosilane compound.

8. The organic-inorganic composite material according to claim 1, wherein the functional organic material has electrochromic properties.

9. The organic-inorganic composite material according to claim 1, wherein the functional organic material has photoelectric conversion function.

13. The organic-inorganic composite material according to claim 1, wherein the metal oxide is in the form of particles and the functional organic material is covalently bound to the surface of the particles of the metal oxide via the silanol bond.

14. The organic-inorganic composite material according to claim 13, wherein the metal oxide is titanium oxide in the form of particles and the functional organic material is a chlorosilane.

15. A display electrode having a surface on which the organic-inorganic composite of claim 13 is present.

16. The electrode of claim 14, wherein the particles of the metal oxide are present on the surface of a glass substrate having a tin oxide thin film surface.

17. An electrochromic display device, comprising:

the display electrode of claim 15;

a counter electrode;

one or more spacers between the display electrode and the counter electrode wherein the spacers form voids between the display electrode and the counter electrode; and

an electrolyte solution present in the voids between the display electrode and the counter electrode.

10. An electrochromic display device comprising a display electrode for electrochromic display device, a counter electrode arranged to face the display electrode for electrochromic display device at a distance, and an electrolyte layer between the display electrode and the counter electrode,

wherein the display electrode for electrochromic display device comprises an electrode and a color developing layer formed on the electrode, and the color developing layer comprises an organic-inorganic composite material which comprises:

a metal oxide; and

a functional organic material located on the metal oxide,

wherein the functional organic material and the metal oxide are bound via a silanol bond.

11. The electrochromic display device according to claim 10, further comprising a white reflective layer which comprises white titanium oxide fine particles.

19. The electrochromic display device according to claim 10, wherein the metal oxide is in the form particles of titanium oxide, the particles of titanium oxide are present on the face of the display electrode and the functional organic material is bound to the surface of the metal particles via a silanol bond.

12. A photoelectric conversion device comprising an electrode for photoelectric conversion device, a counter electrode arranged to face the electrode for photoelectric conversion device at a distance, and an electrolyte layer between the electrode for photoelectric conversion device and the counter electrode,

wherein the electrode for photoelectric conversion device comprises an electrode and a photoelectric conversion layer formed on the electrode, and the photoelectric conversion layer comprises an organic-inorganic composite material which comprises:

a metal oxide; and

a functional organic material located on the metal oxide,

wherein the functional organic material and the metal oxide are bound via a silanol bond.

18. The photoelectric conversion device of claim 12, having a photoelectric conversion efficiency on radiation with pseudo sunlight (AM1.5, 100 mW/cm²) of 2.5% or more.