Electrochromic device

• US 6,437,901 B1
• Filed: 05/02/2000
• Issued: 08/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nippon Mitsubishi Oil Corporation (ENEOS Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nippon Mitsubishi Oil Corporation (ENEOS Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sugiura, Izuru, Kobayashi, Masaaki, Nishikitani, Yoshinori
• Primary Examiner(s): Lester, Evelyn A.
• Application Number:
  US09/562,540
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 359/265, 359/267, 359/268, 359/272, 359/273, 359/274
• US Class Current: 359/267
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2211/1466 containing nitrogen as the only heteroatom
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/157 Structural association of cells with optical devices, e.g. reflectors or illuminating devices

Abstract

An electrochromic mirror comprising two conductive substrates, at least one of which is transparent, and both of an ion conductor layer and an electrochromic color-developing layer sandwiched between the substrates, wherein the color-developing layer contains a high-molecular compound having a biologen structure.

Claims

1. An electrochromic device comprising two conductive substrates, at least one of which is transparent, an ion conductive layer disposed therebetween and an electrochromic color developing layer disposed between the ion conductive layer and at least either one of the two conductive substrates and containing (A) a compound having a viologen structure represented by the formula

wherein X⁻

and Y⁻

are the same or different and are each a counter anion selected from the group consisting of a halogen anion, ClO₄⁻

, BF₄⁻

, PF₆⁻

, CH₃COO⁻

and CH₃(C₆H₄)SO₃⁻

and (B) 4,4′

-dipyridyl and/or a 1-substituted 4,4′

-dipyridinium salt represented by the formula

wherein X⁻

is a counter anion selected from the group consisting of a halogen anion, ClO₄⁻

, BF₄⁻

, PF₆⁻

, CH₃COO⁻

and CH₃(C₆H₄)SO₃⁻

; and

wherein the compound having a viologen structure represented by formula (1) is selected from the group consisting of a high molecular weight compound having a viologen structure unit or a unit containing a viologen structure as a repeating unit, a high molecular weight compound having a high molecular weight substitute at the end of a viologen structure, and a high molecular weight compound substituted in part with a group having a viologen structure.

2. The electrochromic device according to claim 1 wherein each of the ion conductive layer and the electrochromic color developing layer is a solid.

3. The electrochromic device according to claim 1 wherein it is an electrochromic mirror.

4. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein said electrochromic color developing layer has a thickness in a range of 0.01 to 50 μ

m.

5. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein the molar composition ratio of Compound (A) to Compound (B) is in a range of 80:

20 to 99.9;

0.1.

6. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein said high molecular weight compound having a viologen structure unit or a unit containing a viologen structure as a repeating unit has a viologen structure in a side chain or in a main chain.

7. The electrochromic device according to claim 6, wherein said high molecular weight compound having a viologen structure as the side chain has a unit selected from the group consisting of a hydrocarbon unit, an oxygen-containing hydrocarbon unit, a nitrogen-containing hydrocarbon unit and a polysiloxane unit as a repeating unit of its main chain.

8. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein said 1-substituted 4,4-dipyridinium salt represented by formula (2) is selected from the group consisting of a low molecular weight compound having said salt, a high molecular weight compound having said salt unit or a unit containing said salt unit as a repeating unit, and a high molecular weight compound having a high molecular weight substitute at the end of said salt.

9. The electrochromic device according to claim 8, wherein said high molecular weight compound having said salt unit or a unit containing said salt unit as a repeating unit has said salt unit in a side chain or a main chain.

10. The electrochromic device according to claim 9, wherein said high molecular weight compound having said salt in the side chain has a unit selected from the group consisting of a hydrocarbon unit, an oxygen-containing hydrocarbon unit, a nitrogen-containing hydrocarbon unit and a polysiloxane unit as a repeating unit of its main chain.