Arrangement based on poly-(3,4-dioxythiophene) derivatives which are electrochromically switched with protons

• US 6,507,428 B1
• Filed: 04/03/2001
• Issued: 01/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Heraeus Clevios GmbH (Heraeus Holding GMBH)
• Original Assignee: Bayer AG
• Inventors: Wehrmann, Rolf, Heuer, Helmut-Werner
• Primary Examiner(s): Lester, Evelyn A
• Application Number:
  US09/806,692
• Time in Patent Office: 651 Days
• Field of Search: 359/265-275, 252/582, 252/586
• US Class Current: 359/273
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 61/126 with a five-membered ring containing one sulfur atom in the ring
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 9/02 Organic tenebrescent materials
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/15165 Polymers
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 1/127 comprising five-membered aromatic rings in the main chain, e.g. polypyrroles, polythiophenes

Abstract

The invention relates to electrochromic arrangements in a layered structure which are characterized in that one layer contains an electrically conductive electrochromic polydioxythiophene, another layer comprises an electrolyte containing a protonic acid, and another layer comprises an ion storage or a mixture of ion storages.

Claims

1. Electrochromic assemblies having a layer structure, characterized in that one layer comprises an electrically conductive, electrochromic polydioxythiophene, a further layer comprises an electrolyte containing a protic acid and a further layer comprises an ion reservoir compound or a mixture of ion reservoir compounds.

2. Electrochromic assemblies according to claim 1, characterized in that the polydioxythiophenes are cationically charged and are built up of structural units of the formula (I)

where

A¹ and A₂ represent, independently of one another, substituted or unsubstituted (C₁-C₄)-alkyl or together form substituted or unsubstituted (C₁-C₄)-alkylene, and

n represents an integer from 2 to 10,000,

and the counterions are polyanions.

3. Electrochromic assemblies according to claim 2, characterized in that the polydioxythiophenes are built up of structural units of the formula (Ia) or (Ib)

where

R₁ and R₂ represent, independently of one another, hydrogen, substituted or unsubstituted (C₁-C₁₈)-alkyl, (C₂-C₁₂)-alkenyl, (C₃-C₇)-cycloalkyl, (C₇-C₁₅)-aralkyl, (C₆-C₁₀)-aryl, (C₁-C₁₈)-alkyloxy or (C₂-C₁₈)-alkyloxy ester and

R₃ and R₄ represent, independently of one another, hydrogen, but not both at the same time, or (C₁-C₁₈)-alkyl, (C₂-C₁₂)-alkenyl, (C₃-C₇)-cycloalkyl, (C₇-C₁₅)-aralkyl, (C₆-C₁₀)-aryl, (C₁-C₁₈)-alkyloxy or (C₂-C₁₈)-alkyloxy ester, each substituted by at least one sulphonate group,

n represents a number from 2 to 10,000.

4. Electrochromic assemblies according to claim 3, characterized in that the polydioxythiophenes are built up of structural units of the formula (IIa) or (IIb)

where

R₃ and n are as defined in claim 3.

5. Electrochromic assemblies according to claim 2, characterized in that the polyanions are anions of polymeric carboxylic acids and/or polymeric sulphonic acids.

6. Electrochromic assemblies according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one transparent, electrically conductive coating on a substrate is present.

7. Electrochromic assemblies according to claim 1, characterized in that the conductive electrode material is an electrically conductive polydioxythiophene.

8. Electrochromic assemblies according to claim 1, characterized in that a transparent electrolyte comprising the following components:

polymer (crosslinked or uncrosslinked)

protic acid is present.