Various embodiments herein relate to electrochromic devices, methods of fabricating electrochromic devices, and apparatus for fabricating electrochromic devices. In a number of cases, the electrochromic device may be fabricated to include a particular counter electrode material. The counter electrode material may include a base anodically coloring material. The counter electrode material may further include one or more halogens. The counter electrode material may also include one or more additives.

The present invention relates to metal-based tris-bipyridyl complexes, e.g., iron-based tris-bipyridyl complexes, and their use in fabrication of surface confined assemblies for electrochromic applications. Formulae I and II. ##STR00001##

The present invention relates to an electrochromic composition comprising at least one reducing compound, at least one oxidizing compound which is selected from specific viologen derivatives, and at least one dye. Said composition can be used as a variable transmittance medium for the manufacture of an optical article, such as an ophthalmic lens.

In the electrochromic device according to an embodiment of the present application, when the first voltage is applied to the electrochromic device in a state that the electrochromic element has the first state, the electrochromic device becomes the second state, and when the first voltage is applied to the electrochromic element in a state that the electrochromic element has the fourth state, the electrochromic element becomes the third state.

A heat treated electrochromic device comprising an anodic complementary counter electrode layer comprised of a mixed tungsten-nickel oxide and lithium, which provides a high transmission in the fully intercalated state, and which is capable of long term stability, is disclosed. Methods of making an electrochromic device comprising an anodic complementary counter electrode comprised of a mixed tungsten-nickel oxide are also disclosed.

An organic compound represented by General Formula (1),

##STR00001##

in which, in General Formula (1), R.sub.1 represents an alkyl group or an alkoxy group, X.sub.1 and X.sub.2 are each independently selected from an alkyl group which may have a substituent, an aryl group which may have a substituent, or an aralkyl group which may have a substituent, and A.sub.1.sup.− and A.sub.2.sup.− each independently represent a monovalent anion.

An electrochromic element is provided. The electrochromic element includes a first electrode, a second electrode facing the first electrode with a gap therebetween, and a color developing layer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The color developing layer includes an electrochromic compound that develops and discharges color by a redox reaction and a compound having an adsorption group adsorptive to the first electrode.

Methods of charging an electrochromic device includes post assembly charging using a sacrificial redox agent, lithium diffusion into an electrode from a lithium layer or salt bridge charging, or pre assembly charging using proton photoinjection into an electrode.

Provided is an electrochromic element including: a first electrode; a second electrode apart from and opposite to the first electrode; an electrolyte layer between the first electrode and the second electrode, containing an oxidizable substance or a reducible substance, or both; and at least one of an oxidizable electrochromic layer between the first electrode and the electrolyte layer, containing an oxidizable electrochromic compound, and a reducible electrochromic layer between the second electrode and the electrolyte layer, containing a reducible electrochromic compound, wherein an oxidation potential of the oxidizable substance is nobler than an oxidation potential of the oxidizable electrochromic compound, a reduction potential of the reducible substance is baser than a reduction potential of the reducible electrochromic compound, an oxidation reaction of the oxidizable substance is irreversible, and a reduction reaction of the reducible substance is irreversible.

There is provided an optical element which is an apodized filter capable of externally controlling an optical characteristic and stable over a long period. An optical element 100 is an optical element including: a transparent electrolyte layer 110; a pair of solid electrochromic layers which sandwiches the transparent electrolyte layer 110; and further a pair of transparent conductive films 140 which sandwiches a pair of the solid electrochromic layer, wherein a pair of the solid electrochromic layers is constituted by a reduction coloring-type solid electrochromic layer 120 and an oxidation coloring-type solid electrochromic layer 130 opposing each other, the optical element including: an apodized characteristic in which transmittance increases gradually from an outer periphery toward a center in a plane orthogonal to a thickness direction of the transparent electrolyte layer 110.