Electrochromic devices having an electron shuttle

• US 6,700,693 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2002
• Issued: 03/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gentex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Gentex Corporation
• Inventors: Theiste, David A., Baumann, Kelvin L., Lin, Rongguang, Roberts, Kathy E., Guarr, Thomas F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang, Hung Xuan
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRA, TUYEN Q
• Application Number:
  US10/283,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20030053187A1
• Time in Patent Office: 489 Days
• Field of Search: 359/265-275, 345/49, 345/105, 348/877, 546/257, 544/347, 252/583, 252/600, 428/426
• US Class Current: 359/265
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 9/00 Tenebrescent materials, i.e. materials for which the range of wavelengths for energy absorption is changed as a result of excitation by some form of energy
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1503 caused by oxidation-reduction reactions in organic liquid solutions, e.g. viologen solutions
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2001/15145 the electrochromic layer comprises a mixture of anodic and cathodic compounds

Abstract

An electrochromic device comprising: a first substantially transparent substrate having an electrically conductive material associated therewith; a second substrate having an electrically conductive material associated therewith; and an electrochromic medium contained within a chamber positioned between the first and second substrates which comprises: at least one solvent; an anodic material; a cathodic material, wherein both of the anodic and cathodic materials are electroactive and at least one of the anodic and cathodic materials is electrochromic, and wherein at least one of the anodic and cathodic materials is slow-diffusing; and an electron shuttle, wherein the electron shuttle serves to decrease switching time of the electrochromic device relative to the same without the electron shuttle.

Claims

1. An electrochromic device, comprising:

a first substantially transparent substrate having an electrically conductive material associated therewith;

a second substrate having an electrically conductive material associated therewith; and

an electrochromic medium contained within a chamber positioned between the first and second substrates which comprises;

at least one solvent;

an anodic material, wherein the anodic material is slow-diffusing;

a cathodic material, wherein both of the anodic and cathodic materials are electroactive and at least one of the anodic and cathodic materials is electrochromic; and

an anodic electron shuttle, wherein the anodic electron shuttle serves to decrease switching time of the electrochromic device relative to the same without the anodic electron shuttle.

2. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein the anodic electron shuttle comprises a diffusion coefficient greater than approximately 1.5 times that of the anodic material.

3. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein the anodic electron shuttle comprises a diffusion coefficient greater than approximately 2.0 times that of the anodic material.

4. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein the anodic electron shuttle is materially colored upon oxidation.

5. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein the anodic electron shuttle serves to decrease clearing time of the electrochromic device by at least 10% relative to the same without the anodic electron shuttle.

6. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein the anodic electron shuttle serves to decrease clearing time of the electrochromic device by at least 15% relative to the same without the anodic electron shuttle.

7. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein the concentration of the anodic electron shuttle ranges from approximately 0.5 mM to approximately 50 mM.

8. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein the concentration of the anodic electron shuttle is at least approximately 5% of the concentration of the anodic material.

9. An electrochromic device, comprising:

a first substantially transparent substrate having an electrically conductive material associated therewith;

a second substrate having an electrically conductive material associated therewith; and

an electrochromic medium contained within a chamber positioned between the first and second substrates which comprises;

at least one solvent;

a cathodic material, wherein the cathodic material is slow-diffusing;

an anodic material, wherein both of the anodic and cathodic materials are electroactive and at least one of the anodic and cathodic materials is electrochromic; and

a cathodic electron shuttle, wherein the cathodic electron shuttle serves to decrease switching time of the electrochromic device relative to the same without the cathodic electron shuttle.

10. The electrochromic device according to claim 9, wherein the cathodic electron shuttle comprises a diffusion coefficient greater than approximately 1.5 times that of the cathodic material.

11. The electrochromic device according to claim 9, wherein the cathodic electron shuttle comprises a diffusion coefficient greater than approximately 2.0 times that of the cathodic material.

12. The electrochromic device according to claim 9, wherein the cathodic electron shuttle is materially colored upon reduction.

13. The electrochromic device according to claim 9, wherein the cathodic electron shuttle serves to decrease clearing time of the electrochromic device by at least 10% relative to the same without the cathodic electron shuttle.

14. The electrochromic device according to claim 9, wherein the cathodic electron shuttle serves to decrease clearing time of the electrochromic device by at least 15% relative to the same without the cathodic electron shuttle.

15. The electrochromic device according to claim 9, wherein the concentration of the cathodic electron shuttle ranges from approximately 0.5 mM to approximately 50 mM.

16. The electrochromic device according to claim 9, wherein the concentration of the cathodic electron shuttle is at least approximately 5% of the concentration of the cathodic material.

17. An electrochromic device, comprising:

a first substantially transparent substrate having an electrically conductive material associated therewith;

a second substrate having an electrically conductive material associated therewith; and

an electrochromic medium contained within a chamber positioned between the first and second substrates which comprises;

at least one solvent;

a cathodic material, wherein the cathodic materials is slow-diffusing;

an anodic material, wherein the anodic materials is slow-diffusing, and further wherein both of the anodic and cathodic materials are electroactive and at least one of the anodic and cathodic materials is electrochromic; and

an anodic electron shuttle and a cathodic electron shuttle, wherein the anodic and cathodic electron shuttles serve to decrease switching time of the electrochromic device relative to the same without the electron shuttle.

18. The electrochromic device according to claim 17, wherein the anodic and cathodic electron shuttles comprise diffusion coefficients greater than approximately 1.5 times that of their respective anodic and cathodic materials.

19. The electrochromic device according to claim 17, wherein the anodic and cathodic electron shuttles comprise diffusion coefficients greater than approximately 2.0 times that of their respective anodic and cathodic materials.

20. The electrochromic device according to claim 17, wherein the anodic electron shuttle is materially colored upon oxidation and the cathodic electron shuttle is materially colored upon reduction.

21. The electrochromic device according to claim 17, wherein the anodic and cathodic electron shuttles serve to decrease clearing time of the electrochromic device by at least 10% relative to the same without the anodic and cathodic electron shuttles.

22. The electrochromic device according to claim 17, wherein the anodic and cathodic electron shuttles serve to decrease clearing time of the electrochromic device by at least 15% relative to the same without the anodic and cathodic electron shuttles.

23. The electrochromic device according to claim 17, wherein the concentration of the anodic and cathodic electron shuttles individually ranges from approximately 0.5 mM to approximately 50 mM.

24. The electrochromic device according to claim 17, wherein the concentration of the anodic and cathodic electron shuttles is at least approximately 5% of the concentration of the anodic and cathodic materials, respectively.