Electrochromic device and corresponding uses

• US 6,768,574 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2003
• Issued: 07/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ficosa North America Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Ficosa North America Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Viera Marmol, Gregorio, Bertran Serra, Enric, Person Millaruelo, Carles, Porqueras Orea, Isidre
• Primary Examiner(s): THOMPSON, TIMOTHY J
• Application Number:
  US10/337,980
• Publication Number:
  US 20030156313A1
• Time in Patent Office: 568 Days
• Field of Search: 359/265, 359/266, 359/267, 359/269, 359/270, 359/273, 359/275
• US Class Current: 359/265
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/088 using a cell of electrically changeable optical characteristic, e.g. liquid-crystal or electrochromic mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1524 Transition metal compounds
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1525 characterised by a particular ion transporting layer, e.g. electrolyte
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/15 periodic
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2202/36 Micro- or nanomaterials

Abstract

The invention discloses an electrochromic device of the type comprising at least one substrate and a structure of at least partly superimposed layers, where the structure comprises at least one layer of electrochromic material and a layer of electronic insulating transparent ion-conducting solid electrolytic material, and where at least one of these layers is nanostructured, i.e. has a nanostructure. Possible uses of these electrochromic devices are for controlling the energy of the electromagnetic waves reflected by the device or transmitted through the device, for example, a rear-view mirror or a motor vehicle window glass.

Claims

1. An electrochromic device of the type comprising at least one substrate and a structure of at least partly superimposed layers, where said structure comprises at least one layer of electrochromic material and a layer of electronic insulating transparent ion-conducting solid electrolytic material, where at least one of said layers of electrochromic material is nanostructured, i.e. has a nanostructure, and is, in turn, formed by a plurality of nanolayers, characterized in that said nanolayers forming one of said nanostructured layers are of the same material but deposited under different conditions.

2. The electrochromic device as defined in claim 1, wherein said electrochromic material is a material selected from the group formed by wolfram oxide, molybdenum oxide, vanadium oxide, titanium oxide, chromium oxide, iridium oxide, niobium oxide and combinations of at least two of these.

3. The electrochromic device as defined in claim 1, wherein said superimposed layer structure comprises a first layer which is an electrode, said electrode being a conductive metal or a transparent conductive oxide, a second layer which is an electrochromic material, a third layer which is an electronic insulating transparent ion-conducting solid electrolytic material, a fourth layer which is also an electrochromic material, with the electrochromic material of said fourth layer being complementary to the electrochromic material of said second layer, a fifth layer which is an electrode, said electrode being a conductive metal or a transparent conductive oxide.

4. The electrochromic device as defined in claim 1, wherein said structure of at least partly superimposed layers comprises a first layer which is an electrode, said electrode being a conductive metal or a transparent conductive oxide, a second layer which is an electrochromic material, a third layer which is an electronic insulating transparent ion-conducting solid electrolytic material, and a fourth layer which is an electrode, said electrode being a conductive metal or a transparent conductive oxide.

5. The electrochromic device as defined in any one of claims 1-4, wherein each of said nanolayers has a thickness ranging from 2 to 20 nm.

6. The electrochromic device as defined in at least one of claims 1-4, wherein each of said nanostructured layers has a thickness ranging from 100 to 400 nm.

7. The electrochromic device as defined in at least one of claims 1-4, wherein between at least two of said layers there is situated an interface layer having a thickness ranging from 0.5 to 10 nm.

8. The electrochromic device as defined in any one of claims 1-4, including a layer of a material suitable for storing ions.

9. The electrochromic device as defined in claim 8, wherein said material suitable for storing ions is a material selected from the group formed by chromium oxide, titanium oxide, manganese oxide and cerium oxide.

18. The electrochromic device as defined in any one of claims 1-4, 8, or 10-15 comprising a passivating coating of a material selected from the group consisting of SiO₂, polymeric siloxane, and mixtures of both compounds, said passivating coating having a thickness of more than 1 μ

m.

10. An electrochromic device of the type comprising at least one substrate and a structure of at least partly superimposed layers, where said structure comprises at least one layer of electrochromic material and a layer of electronic insulating transparent ion-conducting solid electrolytic material, where at least one of said layers of electrochromic material is nanostructured, i.e. has a nanostructure, characterized in that said layer of electronic insulating transparent ion-conducting solid electrolytic material is nanostructured, i.e. has a nanostructure.

11. The electrochromic device as defined in claim 10, wherein said layer of electronic insulating transparent ion-conducting solid electrolytic material is an electronic insulating material having a resistivity above 10⁹ Ω

·

m and having an extinction coefficient k<

10<sup>−

2</sup> in the visible range (400 nm to 800 nm).

12. The electrochromic device as defined in claim 11, wherein said layer of electronic insulating transparent ion-conducting solid electrolytic material is a material selected from the group formed by the binary compounds SiO₂, SiO, SiC, Ta₂O₅, Al₂O₃, Si₃N₄, Y₂O₃, MgF₂, Zr₃O₂, the ternary compounds LiAlF₄, LiNbO₅ and combinations of at least any two of the foregoing compounds.

13. The electrochromic device as defined in claim 10, wherein said nanostructured layer is, in turn, formed by a plurality of nanolayers.

14. The electrochromic device as defined in claim 13, wherein said nanolayers forming one of said nanostructured layers are of different materials.

15. The electrochromic device as defined in claim 13, wherein said nanolayers forming one of said nanostructured layers are of the same material but deposited under different conditions.

16. The electrochromic device as defined in any one of claims 14-15, wherein each of said nanolayers has a thickness ranging from 2 to 20 nm.

17. The electrochromic device as defined in any one of claims 14-15, wherein each of said nanostructured layers has a thickness ranging from 100 to 400 nm.