Electrochromic device

• US 6,816,298 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2003
• Issued: 11/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nippon Mitsubishi Oil Corporation (ENEOS Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nippon Mitsubishi Oil Corporation (ENEOS Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Minami, Masaki, Imafuku, Hiroshi, Iaki, Keizo, Kobayashi, Masaaki, Kubo, Takaya, Nishikitani, Yoshinori
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang, Hung Xuan
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRA, TUYEN Q
• Application Number:
  US10/364,826
• Publication Number:
  US 20030184839A1
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 359/272, 359/273, 359/265, 359/266, 359/267, 359/268, 359/269, 359/270, 359/271, 359/274, 359/275, 544/347, 252/583, 252/600, 546/257, 204/290.07, 204/600, 505/472, 345/105, 345/107, 430/32, 430/34, 430/38
• US Class Current: 359/272
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2211/1029 containing one nitrogen atom as the heteroatom
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2211/187 of the iron group metals, i.e. Fe, Co or Ni
• 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 1/1516 comprising organic material
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2001/1502 complementary cell
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2001/15145 the electrochromic layer comprises a mixture of anodic and cathodic compounds

Abstract

An electrochromic element comprises an ion conduction layer between two conducting substrates, at least one of which is transparent. The ion conduction layer contains an organic compounds, which has both a structure exhibiting a cathodic electrochromic characteristic and a structure exhibiting an anodic electrochromic characteristic.

Claims

1. An electrochromic device having an ion conductive layer disposed between two electrically conductive substrates, at least one of which is transparent, wherein said ion conductive layer contains an organic compound having per molecule both a structure exhibiting a cathodic electrochromic characteristic and a structure exhibiting an anodic electrochromic characteristic, wherein said structure exhibiting a cathodic electrochromic characteristic is a bipyridinium ion-pair structure represented by formula (1) below, and said structure exhibiting an anodic electrochromic characteristic is a metallocene structure represented by the formula (2) or (3) below:

wherein A⁻

and B⁻

are each independently a pair-anion selected from the group consisting of a halogen anion, ClO₄⁻

, BF₄⁻

, PF₆⁻

, AsF₆⁻

, SbF₆⁻

, CHCOO⁻

, and CH₃(C₆H₄)SO₃⁻

; and

wherein R¹ and R² are each independently a hydrocarbon group selected from the group consisting of an alkyl, alkenyl and aryl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms, in the case where R¹ or R² is an aryl group, the aryl group optionally forms a condensed ring together with a cyclopentadienyl ring, m is an integer of 0≦

m≦

4, n is an integer of 0≦

n≦

4, and Me represents Cr, Co, Fe, Mg, Ni, Os, Ru, V, X—

HF—

Y, X—

Mo—

Y, X—

Nb—

Y, X—

Ti—

Y, X—

V—

Y or X—

Zr—

Y wherein X and Y are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, and an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms.