Electrochromic devices

• US 5,729,379 A
• Filed: 10/24/1995
• Issued: 03/17/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Donnelly Corporation (Magna International Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Donnelly Corporation (Magna International Incorporated)
• Inventors: Agrawal, Anoop, Allemand, Pierre-Marc, Grimes, F. Randall, Ingle, Andrew R., Bigelow, Barbara A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelms, David C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BEY, DAWN MARIE
• Application Number:
  US08/547,578
• Time in Patent Office: 875 Days
• Field of Search: 359/265, 359/270, 359/272, 359/273, 359/268, 359/275
• US Class Current: 359/270
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/15165 Polymers

Abstract

An electrochromic device is disclosed having a conducting electrode opposing a counter conducting electrode with an electrochemically active polymeric layer disposed on an opposing surface of one of said electrodes and an electrolyte containing at least one redox active material contactingly disposed between the electrochemically active layer and an other opposing surface of one of said electrodes, wherein at least one of the electrodes is transparent. Also disclosed is an electrochromic device that exhibits low light transmission or reflectivity with no applied potential or after removal of an applied potential.

Claims

1. An electrochromic device comprising a conducting electrode opposing a counter conducting electrode with an electrochemically active polymeric material layer disposed on an opposing surface of one of said electrodes and a nonaqueous electrolyte containing at least one electrochromically reversible redox active material contactingly disposed between said electrochemically active polymeric material layer and an other opposing surface of one of said electrodes, wherein at least one of said electrodes is transparent.

2. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, further comprising a first substrate disposed on an outwardly facing surface of one of said electrodes and a second substrate disposed on an other outwardly facing surface of said electrodes, wherein at least one of said substrates is transparent.

3. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein said electrolyte contains at least one ionic material.

4. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein the electrolyte contains a mixture of salts having different cations or anions.

5. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein the redox active material is a viologen salt.

6. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein the electrochemically active polymeric layer contains an additive selected from group consisting of UV stabilizers, adhesion promoting agents, heat stabilizers and mixtures thereof.

7. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein the electrolyte contains an additive selected from group consisting of UV stabilizers, heat stabilizers and mixtures thereof.

8. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein the electrolyte is comprised of a mixture of at least two solvents.

9. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein the electrolyte contains a passive visible or infrared dye.

10. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein the electrolyte is comprised of an inert polymeric additive.

11. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein the electrolyte is comprised of a solid polymeric material.

12. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein the electrolyte is comprised of at least one monomer which is polymerizable to a solid after exposure to heat or radiation.

13. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein the electrochemically active polymeric layer is electrochromic.

14. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein the electrochemically active polymeric layer is selected from the group consisting of a copolymer, a blend and a composite, wherein said copolymer, said blend or said composite contains at least one electrochemically active compound.

15. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein the electrochemically active polymeric layer is electronically conductive in at least its oxidized or reduced state.

16. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein the electrochemically active polymeric layer is selected from the group consisting of polyaniline, a polyaniline derivative and mixtures thereof.

17. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one transparent electrode is comprised of a group selected from doped indium oxide, doped tin oxide and doped zinc oxide.

18. The electrochromic device according to claim 2, wherein the at least one transparent substrate is selected from group of specific colored substrates, photochromic substrates, infrared absorbing substrates, reflecting substrates, ultraviolet absorbing substrates and mixtures thereof.

19. The electrochromic device according to claim 2, wherein the at least one transparent substrate is further comprised of a coating on the outward facing surface, said coating selected from the group consisting of an antireflection coating, an antifogging coating, an antiabrasion coating, an ultraviolet quenching coating and mixtures thereof.

20. The electrochromic device according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the substrates is further comprised of a coating, tape or lamination selected from the group consisting of an antilacerative, an antiscatter, a colored, a ultraviolet blocking, an IR blocking coating, tape or lamination and mixtures thereof.

21. The electrochromic device according to claim 2, wherein one of said substrates is reflective.

22. The electrochromic device according to claim 2, further comprising a reflective layer disposed on an inward or outward facing surface of one of said substrates.

23. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein one of said electrodes is a reflective material.

24. The electrochromic device according to claim 2, wherein said device is a vehicular mirror or a vehicular glazing.

25. The electrochromic device according to claim 24, wherein said vehicular mirror is an interior vehicular mirror or an exterior vehicular mirror.

26. The electrochromic device according to claim 25, wherein said interior vehicular mirror is a rearview mirror.

27. The electrochromic device according to claim 24, wherein said vehicular glazing is selected from the group consisting of a vehicular window, a sun roof, sunvisor and a shadeband.

28. An electrochromic device comprising a conducting electrode opposing a counter conducting electrode with an electrochemically active polymeric layer of a polyaniline or a polyaniline derivative disposed on an opposing surface of one of said electrodes and an electrolyte containing a viologen salt disposed in a contacting relationship between said electrochemically active layer and an other opposing surface of one of said electrodes, wherein at least one of said electrodes is transparent.

29. The electrochromic device according to claim 28, further comprising a first substrate disposed on an outwardly facing surface of one of said electrodes and a second substrate disposed on an other outwardly facing surface of said electrodes, wherein at least one of said substrates is transparent.

30. The electrochromic device according to claim 29, wherein one of said substrates is reflective.

31. The electrochromic device according to claim 29, further comprising a reflective layer disposed on an inward or outward facing surface of one of said substrates.

32. The electrochromic device according to claim 28, wherein one of said electrodes is reflective.

33. The electrochromic device according to claim 28, wherein the electrolyte contains at least one UV stabilizer/absorber.

34. An electrochromic device comprising a conducting electrode opposing a counter conducting electrode with an electrochemically active polymeric material layer disposed on an opposing surface of one of said electrodes and a nonaqueous electrolyte containing at least one electrochromically reversible redox active material contactingly disposed between said electrochemically active polymeric material layer and an other opposing surface of one of said electrodes, wherein at least one of said electrodes is transparent and (i) said electrochemically active polymeric material is a negative electrochemically active polymeric material having a redox potential greater than a redox potential of said redox active material or (ii) said electrochemically active polymeric material is a positive electrochemically active polymeric material having a redox potential less than a redox potential of said redox active material.

35. An electrochromic device according to claim 34, further comprising a first substrate disposed on an outwardly facing surface of one of said electrodes and a second substrate disposed on an other outwardly facing surface of said electrodes, wherein at least one of said substrates is transparent.

36. An electrochromic device according to claim 35, wherein said electrochemically active polymeric material is selected from the group consisting of polyaniline, a polyaniline derivative and mixtures thereof.

37. An electrochromic device according to claim 36, wherein the redox active material is a metallocene or its derivative.

38. An electrochromic device according to claim 37, wherein the metallocene is ferrocene.

39. An electrochromic device comprising a conducting electrode opposing a counter conducting electrode with an electrochemically active inorganic metal oxide material layer disposed on an opposing surface of one of said electrodes and a nonaqueous electrolyte containing at least one electrochromically reversible redox active material contactingly disposed between said electrochemically active inorganic metal oxide material layer and an other opposing surface of one of said electrodes, wherein at least one of said electrodes is transparent and (i) said electrochemically active inorganic metal oxide material is a negative electrochemically active inorganic metal oxide material having a redox potential greater than a redox potential of said redox active material or (ii) said electrochemically active inorganic metal oxide material is a positive electrochemically active inorganic metal oxide material having a redox potential less than a redox potential of said redox active material.

40. An electrochromic device according to claim 39, further comprising a first substrate disposed on an outwardly facing surface of one of said electrodes and a second substrate disposed on an other outwardly facing surface of said electrodes, wherein at least one of said substrates is transparent.

41. An electrochromic device according to claim 40, wherein said inorganic metal oxide is selected from the group consisting of WO₃, V₂ O₅, MoO₃, Nb₂ O₅, TiO₂, CuO, Ni₂ O₃, Ir₂ O₃, Cr₂ O₃, Co₂ O₃, Mn₂ O₃ and mixtures thereof.

42. An electrochromic device according to claim 41, wherein said redox active material is a metallocene or its derivative.

43. An electrochromic device according to claim 42, wherein said metallocene is cobaltocene.