Electrochromic element

• US 6,203,154 B1
• Filed: 06/07/2000
• Issued: 03/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/1997
• 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): Epps, Georgia
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lester, Evelyn A.
• Application Number:
  US09/589,230
• Time in Patent Office: 286 Days
• Field of Search: 359/265, 359/267, 359/268, 359/270
• US Class Current: 359/270
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2211/1029 containing one nitrogen atom as the heteroatom
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2211/1433 bridged by heteroatoms, e.g. N, P, Si or B
• 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 1/15165 Polymers
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 1/122 Ionic conductors

Abstract

An electrochromic element composed of an electrochromic layer comprising a specified electrically conductive polymer and an ionically conductive substance layer containing a viologen compound, both sandwiched between two electrically conductive substrates at least one of which is transparent.

Claims

1. An electrochromic element comprising two conductive substrates, at least one of which is transparent;

an ion conductive layer disposed therebetween and containing a compound having a viologen structure represented by formula (1) below; and

an electrochromic layer disposed between the ion conductive layer and at least either one of the two conductive substrates and containing a compound represented by formula (2) or (3) below;

formula (1) being represented by

wherein X⁻

and Y⁻

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

, BF₄⁻

, PF₆⁻

, CH₃COO⁻

and CH₃(C₆H₄)SO₃⁻

;

formula (2) being represented by

wherein R¹ is hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1 to 5 carbon atoms, R², R³, R⁴ and R⁵ are each independently a hydrocarbon group or hydrocarbon residue having 1 to 20 carbon atoms and may be the same or different from each other, Ar¹ and Ar² are each independently a divalent aromatic hydrocarbon residue having 6 to 20 carbon atoms, a is an integer greater than 2 and b and c are each an integer of 0 to 3; and

formula (3) being represented by

wherein R⁶, R⁷, R⁸, R⁹ and R¹⁰ are each independently hydrogen or a hydrocarbon group residue having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, Ar⁴ and Ar⁵ are each independently a divalent aromatic hydrocarbon residue, a′

is an integer of 0 to 3, b′

is an integer of 1 or 2 and c′

is an integer greater than 2.

2. The electrochromic element according to claim 1 wherein said electrochromic layer is composed of a polymer represented by the formula

wherein n averages about 10.

3. The electrochromic element according to claim 1 wherein said electrochromic layer is composed of a polymer with a weight average molecular weight of 4,000, represented by the formula

wherein n averages about 10.

4. The electrochromic element according to claim 1 wherein said electrochromic layer is composed of a polymer with a weight average molecular weight of 3,000, represented by the formula

5. The electrochromic element according to claim 1 wherein said ion conductive material layer is composed of a mixture obtained by a compound having a viologen structure to a composition a polar solvent, a supporting electrolyte and an urethaneacrylate represented by the formula

wherein R¹¹ and R¹² is the same or different and are each a group of formula (10), (11) or (12) below, R¹³ and R¹⁴ is the same or different and are each a C₁-C₂₀, preferably C₂-C₁₂ divalent hydrocarbon residue, Y is selected from a polyether unit, a polyester unit, a polycarbonate unit and the mixed unit thereof and n is an integer from 1 to 100, preferably 1 to 50 and more preferably 1 to 20, and formulae (10), (11) and (12) are represented by the formulae, respectively

wherein R¹⁵, R¹⁶ and R¹⁷ are the same or different and are hydrogen or a C₁-C₃ alkyl group and R¹⁸ is a C₁-C₂₀, preferably C₂-C₈ organic residue of divalent through quatervalent.

6. The electrochromic element according to claim 1 wherein said ion conductive material layer is composed of a mixture obtained by adding a compound having a viologen structure to a composition a polar solvent, a supporting electrolyte and an acryloyle-modified polyalkylene oxide of formula either one of (24), (25) or (26):

wherein R³², R³³, R³⁴ and R³⁵ are each hydrogen and a C₁-C₅ alkyl group and “

1”

is an integer of greater than 1;

wherein R³⁶, R³⁷, R³⁸ and R³⁹ are each hydrogen and a C₁-C₅ alkyl group and m is an integer of greater than 1;

wherein R⁴⁰, R⁴¹ and R⁴² are each hydrogen and a C₁-C₅ alkyl group, p is an integer of greater than 1, q is an integer from 2 to 4 and L is a connecting group of valence indicated by q.