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.

Electrochromic devices and methods may employ the addition of a defect-mitigating insulating layer which prevents electronically conducting layers and/or electrochromically active layers from contacting layers of the opposite polarity and creating a short circuit in regions where defects form. In some embodiments, an encapsulating layer is provided to encapsulate particles and prevent them from ejecting from the device stack and risking a short circuit when subsequent layers are deposited. The insulating layer may have an electronic resistivity of between about 1 and 10.sup.8 Ohm-cm. In some embodiments, the insulating layer contains one or more of the following metal oxides: aluminum oxide, zinc oxide, tin oxide, silicon aluminum oxide, cerium oxide, tungsten oxide, nickel tungsten oxide, and oxidized indium tin oxide. Carbides, nitrides, oxynitrides, and oxycarbides may also be used.

Electrochromic devices and methods may employ the addition of a defect-mitigating insulating layer which prevents electronically conducting layers and/or electrochromically active layers from contacting layers of the opposite polarity and creating a short circuit in regions where defects form. In some embodiments, an encapsulating layer is provided to encapsulate particles and prevent them from ejecting from the device stack and risking a short circuit when subsequent layers are deposited. The insulating layer may have an electronic resistivity of between about 1 and 10.sup.8 Ohm-cm. In some embodiments, the insulating layer contains one or more of the following metal oxides: aluminum oxide, zinc oxide, tin oxide, silicon aluminum oxide, cerium oxide, tungsten oxide, nickel tungsten oxide, and oxidized indium tin oxide. Carbides, nitrides, oxynitrides, and oxycarbides may also be used.

A backplane, a dimming method thereof, and a display device having same are disclosed. The display device includes the backplane which has a first substrate and a second substrate opposite to each other, an electrolyte layer, and a driving electrode which is connected to the first substrate and the second substrate, respectively. When the driving electrode is controlled to apply different voltages between the first substrate and the second substrate, the electrolyte layer shows different translucent states.

An electrochromic device includes an ultra-wideband transparent conducting electrode (UWB-TCE) including: a graphene layer; a gold microgrid on the graphene layer; and an IR-transparent substrate on the graphene layer and the gold microgrid. The electrochromic device is switchable between a solar heating mode and a radiative cooling mode including coating a metal layer on the UWB-TCE for the heating mode and stripping the metal layer for the cooling mode.

An electrochromic element including: a laminated body including a support formed of a resin, a first electrode layer, an electrochromic layer, and a second electrode layer, the support, the first electrode layer, the electrochromic layer, and the second electrode layer being disposed in the laminated body in this order; and a gel electrolyte disposed between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer, wherein a phase separation temperature of the gel electrolyte is higher than a softening point of the support.

As an example of an EC element in which vertical color separation is suppressed, the present disclosure provides an EC element including a pair of electrodes, a solvent, an anodic EC compound, and a cathodic EC compound. In the EC element, the difference between a solvation free energy of an oxidized form of the anodic EC compound in water and a solvation free energy of the oxidized form in octanol is 35 kcal/mol or more, and the difference between a solvation free energy of a reduced form of the cathodic EC compound in propylene carbonate and a solvation free energy of the reduced form in octanol is −35 kcal/mol or less.

This disclosure provides connectors for smart windows. A smart window may incorporate an optically switchable pane. In one aspect, a window unit includes an insulated glass unit including an optically switchable pane. A wire assembly may be attached to the edge of the insulated glass unit and may include wires in electrical communication with electrodes of the optically switchable pane. A floating connector may be attached to a distal end of the wire assembly. The floating connector may include a flange and a nose, with two holes in the flange for affixing the floating connector to a first frame. The nose may include a terminal face that present two exposed contacts of opposite polarity. Pre-wired spacers improve fabrication efficiency and seal integrity of insulated glass units. Electrical connection systems include those embedded in the secondary seal of the insulated glass unit.

This disclosure provides connectors for smart windows. A smart window may incorporate an optically switchable pane. In one aspect, a window unit includes an insulated glass unit including an optically switchable pane. A wire assembly may be attached to the edge of the insulated glass unit and may include wires in electrical communication with electrodes of the optically switchable pane. A floating connector may be attached to a distal end of the wire assembly. The floating connector may include a flange and a nose, with two holes in the flange for affixing the floating connector to a first frame. The nose may include a terminal face that present two exposed contacts of opposite polarity. Pre-wired spacers improve fabrication efficiency and seal integrity of insulated glass units. Electrical connection systems include those embedded in the secondary seal of the insulated glass unit.

Provided is an electrochromic display element including a first substrate, a first electrode over the first substrate, a first electrochromic layer over the first electrode, an electrolyte layer over the first electrochromic layer, a second electrode over the electrolyte layer, and a second substrate over the second electrode. The first electrochromic layer contains tin oxide having an average primary particle diameter of less than 30 nm and an electrochromic compound containing a functional group bindable to the tin oxide. The amount by mole of the electrochromic compound per area of the first electrochromic layer is from 2.0×10.sup.−8 mol/cm.sup.2 through 2.0×10.sup.−7 mol/cm.sup.2.