COMPARTMENTED ELECTROCHROMIC DEVICE

• US 3,453,038 A
• Filed: 06/15/1966
• Issued: 07/01/1969
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/1966
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Charles F. Wahlig, Kissa Erik, Philip Manos
• Original Assignee: Charles F. Wahlig, Kissa Erik, Philip Manos
• Inventors: KISSA ERIK, Manos, Philip, Wahlig, Charles F.
• Application Number:
  US04/557,671
• Time in Patent Office: 1,112 Days
• US Class Current: 359/275
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/20 using electric current B41M5/24 takes precedence ; processes in which the current is transformed into a heat pattern for obtaining transfer to a receptor sheet B41M5/382; electro-coagulable or electro-adhesive printing or recording B41C1/105
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 9/02 Organic tenebrescent materials
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1503 caused by oxidation-reduction reactions in organic liquid solutions, e.g. viologen solutions

Claims

1. AN ELECTROCHROMIC DEVICE COMPRISING:

(A) A CELL WITH TWO FACING AREA ELECTRODES, AT LEAST ONE OF WHICH IS TRANSPARENT AND CONSTITUTES A WINDOW OF THE CELL;

(B) A PERMSELECTIVE MEMBRANE DIVIDING THE CELL OF SAID (A) INTO A FIRST COMPARTMENT INCLUDING THE TRANSPARENT ELECTRODE AND A SECOND COMPARTMENT INCLUDING THE OTHER ELECTRODE;

(C) MEANS FOR (1) APPLYING A POTENTIAL ACROSS SAID ELECTRODES AND (2) REVERSING THEIR POLARITY;

(D) AN ELECTROLYTICALLY CONDICTIVE FIRST COMPARTMENT MATRIX INCLUDING ELECTROLYTE IONS AND AT LEAST ONE MEMBER OF A COLOR-GENERATING REDOX SYSTEM COMPRISING THE DIFFERENTLY COLORED SPECIES, RED1 AND OX1;

(E) AN ELECTROLYTICALLY CONDUCTIVE SECOND COMPARTMENT MATRIX CONTAINING ELECTROLYTE IONS AND AT LEAST ONE MEMBER OF A SECOND REDOX SYSTEM COMPRISING THE SPECIES RED2 AND OX2;

SUCH THAT THE TWO COMPARTMENTS TAKEN TOGETHER CONTAIN AT LEAST ONE REDOX PAIR, RED1/OX2 OR OX1/RED2;

SAID DEVICE BEING FURTHER CHARACTERIZED IN THAT;

(F) SAID MEMBRANCE IS PERMEABLE TO ELECTROLYTE IONS BUT NOT TO THE SAID REDOX SPECIES;

(G) THE FIRST ELECTRODE, WHEN ANODIC, OXIDIZES RED1 TO OX1, WHILE THE SECOND ELECTRODE REDUCES OX2 TO RED2;

(H) THE FIRST ELECTRODE, WHEN CATHODIC, REDUCES OX1 TO RED1;

WHILE THE SECOND ELECTRODE, NOW ANODIC, OXIDIZES RED2 TO OX2;

AND (1) RED1, THE OTHER MATRIX MATERIALS, AND THE MEMBRANE IN COMBINATION CONSTITUTE A FIRST COLOR AT THE TRANSPARENT ELECTRODE WHEN THAT ELECTRODE IS CATHODIC, AND OX1, THE OTHER MATRIX MATERIALS, AND THE MEMBRANCE CONSTITUTE A SECOND COLOR AT THE TRANSPARENT ELECTRODE WHEN THAT ELECTRODE IS ANODIC.