Fill port plugs for electrochromic devices

• US 9,057,925 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2014
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gentex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Gentex Corporation
• Inventors: Veenman, Steven J., Kloeppner, Leroy J.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRA, TUYEN Q
• Application Number:
  US14/207,250
• Publication Number:
  US 20140268279A1
• Time in Patent Office: 461 Days
• Field of Search: 359265-275, 359/900, 345/105, 156/275.5, 156/275.7, 156/330, 522/6, 522/8, 522/11, 522/12
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/161 Gaskets; Spacers; Sealing of cells; Filling or closing of cells
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2202/023 curable

Abstract

An electrochromic device including: a first substantially transparent substrate having an electrically conductive material associated therewith; a second substrate having an electrically conductive material associated therewith; an electrochromic medium contained within a chamber positioned between the first and second substrates which includes: at least one solvent; at least one anodic material; and at least one cathodic material, wherein both of the anodic and cathodic materials are electroactive and at least one of the anodic and cathodic materials is electrochromic; wherein at least one of a seal member, the first substrate, the second substrate, and the chamber includes a plug associated with a fill port; and wherein the plug is at least partially cured with at least one photoinitiator and at least one photosensitizer upon exposure to electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength from about 350 nm to about 420 nm.

Claims

1. An electrochromic device, comprising:

a first substantially transparent substrate having an electrically conductive material associated therewith;

a second substrate having an electrically conductive material associated therewith;

an electrochromic medium contained within a chamber defined by the first and second substrates and a seal member joining the first and second substrates;

wherein;

at least one of a seal member, the first substrate, the second substrate comprises a fill port;

the fill port comprises a plug; and

the plug comprises the reaction product of an epoxy resin, at least one photoinitiator and at least one photosensitizer.

2. The electrochromic device of claim 1, wherein the epoxy resin comprises a bisphenol A epoxy resin, a bisphenol F epoxy resin, a bisphenol A/F epoxy resin, or a modified bisphenol A/F epoxy resin.

3. The electrochromic device of claim 1, wherein the photoinitiator is a cationic photoinitiator.

4. The electrochromic device of claim 3, wherein the cationic photoinitiator comprises a bisaryliodonium antimonate, a bisaryliodonium hexafluoroantimonate, a bisaryliodonium phosphate, a bisaryliodonium hexafluorophosphate, or a mixture of any two or more thereof.

5. The electrochromic device of claim 3, wherein the cationic photoinitiator is a compound represented by Formula I:

6. The electrochromic device of claim 5, wherein [X]⁻

is AsF₆⁻

, SbF₆⁻

, or PF₆⁻

.

7. The electrochromic device of claim 3, wherein the cationic photoinitiator is(4-isobutylphenyl)(phenyl)iodonium hexafluorophosphate.

8. The electrochromic device of claim 1, wherein the photoinitiator is an iodonium photoinitiator.

9. The electrochromic device of claim 1, wherein the photosensitizer is non-ionic.

10. The electrochromic device of claim 1, wherein the photosensitizer is a compound represented by Formula III:

11. The electrochromic device of claim 10, wherein R¹ and R³ are aryl, and R² and R⁴ are alkoxy.

12. The electrochromic device of claim 10, wherein the photosensitizer comprises 2,2-dimethoxy-1,2-diphenylethan-1-one.

13. The electrochromic device of claim 1, wherein the photosensitizer is a xanthone, a thioxanthone, or a mixture of any two or more thereof.

14. The electrochromic device of claim 1, wherein the plug further comprises fumed silica.

15. The electrochromic device of claim 1, wherein the electrochromic medium further comprises at least one of a cross-linked polymer matrix, a free-standing gel, and a substantially non-weeping gel.

16. The electrochromic device of claim 1, wherein the electrochromic medium further comprises a redox buffer.

17. The electrochromic device of claim 1, wherein the plug further comprises a cure indicator.

18. The electrochromic device of claim 1, wherein the device is an electrochromic window, an electrochromic aircraft transparency, or an electrochromic mirror.

19. An electrochromic device, comprising:

a first substantially transparent substrate having an electrically conductive material associated therewith;

a second substrate having an electrically conductive material associated therewith;

an electrochromic medium contained within a chamber positioned between the first and second substrates which comprises;

at least one solvent;

at least one anodic material; and

at least one cathodic material, wherein both of the anodic and cathodic materials are electroactive and at least one of the anodic and cathodic materials is electrochromic;

wherein;

at least one of a seal member, the first substrate, the second substrate, and the chamber comprises a plug associated with a fill port;

the plug comprises an epoxy resin; and

the plug is at least partially cured with at least one cationic photoinitiator and at least one photosensitizer, photosensitizer that is a xanthone or a thioxanthone, upon exposure to electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength from about 350 nm to about 400 nm.

20. A method for manufacturing an electrochromic device, the method comprising:

providing an filled electrochromic device having an unplugged fill port;

injecting an uncured plug material into the fill port;

exposing the uncured plug material to electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength from about 350 nm to about 400 nm to substantially cure the plug material;

wherein;

the uncured plug material comprises an epoxy resin, at least one photoinitiator and at least one photosensitizer.