ELECTROCHROMIC DEVICES
First Claim
1. An electrochromic device comprising:
- (a) an electrochromic layer comprising an electrochromic material;
(b) a counter electrode layer comprising a counter electrode material; and
(c) an interfacial region between the electrochromic layer and the counter electrode layer,wherein the interfacial region comprises a mixture of;
(i) a substantially electronically insulating ion conducting material, and (ii) the electrochromic material, the counter electrode material and/or an additional material, where the additional material includes distinct electrochromic or counter electrode material, wherein the electrochromic material can undergo a first electrochromic transition, wherein the counter electrode material can undergo a second electrochromic transition, and wherein the electrochromic device has only one electrochromic layer and only one counter electrode layer.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Conventional electrochromic devices frequently suffer from poor reliability and poor performance. Improvements are made using entirely solid and inorganic materials. Electrochromic devices are fabricated by forming an ion conducting electronically insulating interfacial region that serves as an IC layer. In some methods, the interfacial region is formed after formation of an electrochromic and a counter electrode layer. The interfacial region contains an ion conducting electronically insulating material along with components of the electrochromic and/or the counter electrode layer. Materials and microstructure of the electrochromic devices provide improvements in performance and reliability over conventional devices.
37 Citations
27 Claims
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1. An electrochromic device comprising:
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(a) an electrochromic layer comprising an electrochromic material; (b) a counter electrode layer comprising a counter electrode material; and (c) an interfacial region between the electrochromic layer and the counter electrode layer, wherein the interfacial region comprises a mixture of;
(i) a substantially electronically insulating ion conducting material, and (ii) the electrochromic material, the counter electrode material and/or an additional material, where the additional material includes distinct electrochromic or counter electrode material, wherein the electrochromic material can undergo a first electrochromic transition, wherein the counter electrode material can undergo a second electrochromic transition, and wherein the electrochromic device has only one electrochromic layer and only one counter electrode layer.- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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9. The electrochromic device of claim 9, wherein the electrochromic layer is between about 300 nm and about 500 nm thick;
- the interfacial region is between about 10 nm and about 150 nm thick, and the counter electrode layer is between about 150 nm and about 300 nm thick.
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14. An electrochromic device comprising:
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(a) an electrochromic layer comprising an electrochromic material; and (b) a counter electrode layer comprising a counter electrode material; wherein the device does not contain a compositionally homogeneous layer of electrically insulating, ion conducting material between the electrochromic layer and the counter electrode layer, wherein the electrochromic material can undergo a first electrochromic transition, wherein the counter electrode material can undergo a second electrochromic transition, and wherein the electrochromic device has only one electrochromic layer and only one counter electrode layer.
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15. An electrochromic device comprising:
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(a) an electrochromic layer comprising an electrochromic material that is operable for undergoing a first electrochromic transition; and (b) a counter electrode layer comprising a counter electrode material that is operable for undergoing a second electrochromic transition; wherein the electrochromic device does not contain a layer of electrically insulating, ion conducting material between the electrochromic layer and the counter electrode layer, and wherein at least one of the electrochromic layer and wherein the electrochromic device has only one electrochromic layer and only one counter electrode layer.
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16. An electrochromic device comprising:
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a two-layer stack, the two layers of said two-layer stack being in contact with one another, said two-layer stack comprising; (a) an electrochromic layer comprising an electrochromic material that is operable for undergoing a first electrochromic transition; and (b) a counter electrode layer comprising a counter electrode material that is operable for undergoing a second electrochromic transition; wherein a region between the electrochromic layer and the counter electrode layer is ion conducting and substantially electronically insulating, and wherein the electrochromic device has only one electrochromic layer and only one counter electrode layer.
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17. An electrochromic device comprising:
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(a) an electrochromic layer comprising an electrochromic metal oxide operable for undergoing a first electrochromic transition; (b) a counter electrode layer comprising a counter electrode material operable for undergoing a second electrochromic transition; and (c) an intermediate layer between the electrochromic layer and the counter electrode layer, wherein the intermediate layer is oxygen rich in comparison to the electrochromic metal oxide in the electrochromic layer, and wherein at least a portion of the intermediate layer is substantially electronically insulating. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. An electrochromic device comprising:
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(a) a counter electrode layer comprising a counter electrode material operable for undergoing a first electrochromic transition; (b) an electrochromic layer comprising an electrochromic material operable for undergoing a second electrochromic transition; and (c) an intermediate layer between the counter electrode layer and the electrochromic layer, wherein the intermediate layer is oxygen rich in comparison to the counter electrode material in the counter electrode layer, and wherein at least a portion of the intermediate layer is substantially electronically insulating.
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Specification