Electrochromic device

Abstract

An electrochromic device including an electrode layer, an electrochromic layer and a conductive band having a closed ring shape. The electrochromic device having the above structure has excellent color-switching speeds and electrochromic uniformity.

Claims

1. An electrochromic device, comprising: an electrode layer; an electrochromic layer on the electrode layer; an electrolyte layer; an ion storage layer; a counter electrode layer; a first conductive band on the electrode layer; and a second conductive band on the electrolyte layer, wherein the first conductive band has a closed ring shape, wherein the first conductive band surrounds a side surface of an edge of the electrochromic layer and directly contacts the electrochromic layer, wherein the first conductive band is in contact with the electrode layer, wherein the electrolyte layer is on a surface of the electrochromic layer that is opposite to a surface of the electrochromic layer facing the electrode layer, wherein the counter electrode layer is adjacent to a surface of the electrolyte layer which is opposite to a surface of the electrolyte layer facing the electrochromic layer, wherein the ion storage layer is between the counter electrode layer and the electrolyte layer, wherein the second conductive band is in direct contact with the ion storage layer, wherein the second conductive band has a closed ring shape, wherein the second conductive band surrounds a side surface of the ion storage layer, wherein the electrode layer comprises an oxide/metal/oxide (OMO) layer, wherein the OMO layer comprises an upper metal oxide layer, a lower metal oxide layer, and a metal layer provided between the two layers, wherein a visible light refractive index of the upper metal oxide layer is in a range of 1.0 to 3.0, wherein a visible light refractive index of the lower metal oxide layer is in a range of 1.3 to 2.7, wherein a visible light refractive index of the metal layer is in a range of 1 or less, wherein each of the first conductive band and the second conductive band consists of nickel (Ni), aluminum (Al), silver (Ag), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), or gold (Au), and wherein a resistance value of the first and second conductive band is 10% or less of the electrode layer resistance value.

2. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein the electrode layer has an area equal to or larger than a sum of an area of the conductive band and the area of the electrochromic layer.

3. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein the first conductive band has a thickness equal to or greater than a thickness of the electrochromic layer.

4. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein the electrolyte layer comprises a gel polymer electrolyte.

5. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein the counter electrode layer has an area equal to or larger than a sum of an area of the second conductive band and an area of the ion storage layer.

6. The electrochromic device according to claim 5, wherein each of the ion storage layer and the second conductive band directly contacts a same one surface of the counter electrode layer.

7. The electrochromic device according to claim 6, wherein the second conductive band has a thickness equal to or greater than a thickness of the ion storage layer.

8. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein the second conductive band surrounds a side surface of an edge of the ion storage layer, and wherein the second conductive band and the ion storage layer are in direct contact with the same surface of the counter electrode layer.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 schematically shows an area relationship of an electrode layer, an electrochromic layer and a conductive band, according to one example of the present application.

(2) FIG. 2 schematically shows an area relationship of an electrochromic layer and a conductive band, according to one example of the present application.

(3) FIG. 3 is a graph relating to driving characteristics of a device of Example according to one example of the present application.

(4) FIG. 4 is a graph relating to driving characteristics of a device of Comparative Example.

(5) FIG. 5 schematically shows an area relationship of an electrode layer, an electrochromic layer, an electrolyte layer, and a conductive band, according to one example of the present application.

(6) FIG. 6 schematically shows an area relationship of an electrode layer, a counter electrode layer, an electrolyte layer, an electrochromic layer and a conductive band, according to one example of the present application.

(7) FIG. 7 schematically shows an area relationship of an electrode layer, a counter electrode layer, an electrolyte layer, an electrochromic layer, an ion storage layer, and a conductive layer, according to one example of the present application.

(8) FIG. 8 schematically shows an area relationship of an electrode layer, a counter electrode layer, an electrolyte layer, an electrochromic layer, an ion storage layer, a 1st conductive layer, and a 2nd conductive layer, according to one example of the present application.

BEST MODE

(9) Hereinafter, the present application will be described in detail through Example. However, the scope of protection of the present application is not limited by Example to be described below.

(10) <Method of Measuring Electrochromism Time>

(11) *Transmittance: measured using oceanoptics. Specifically, the change in transmittance with time was measured at three points (B1, B2, and B3 points upon bleaching; C1, C2, and C3 points upon coloring), respectively, in which the horizontal length (10 cm) of the device produced below was approximately trisected.

Example

(12) Production of First Laminate:

(13) An ITO (thickness: 100 nm) layer and a WO.sub.3 layer (thickness: 350 nm) were sequentially formed on a 150 nm thick PET base material using a deposition method. The plane areas of the ITO layer and the WO.sub.3 layer were made to be a quadrangle having the same size (width×length: 10 cm×7 cm).

(14) 100 ppm of an electrolytic solution containing LiClO.sub.4 (1M) and propylene carbonate (PC) and a potentiostat device were prepared, and Li.sup.+ was inserted into the WO.sub.3 layer by applying a voltage of −1V for 50 seconds to color the WO.sub.3 layer.

(15) Thereafter, all four edge parts of the WO.sub.3 layer were etched. The width of each edge part removed by the etching was 10 nm. Then, a 10 nm wide nickel tape was attached to all four edge parts where the WO.sub.3 was etched. The thickness of the used nickel tape was 1,000 nm.

(16) Production of second laminate: An ITO (thickness: 100 nm) layer and a prussian blue (PB) layer (thickness: 350 nm) were sequentially formed on a 150 nm thick PET base material by a deposition method. The plane areas of the ITO layer and the PB layer were made to be a quadrangle having the same size (width×length: 10 cm×7 cm).

(17) Likewise, all four edge parts of the PB layer were etched. The width of each edge part removed by the etching was 10 nm. Then, a 10 nm wide nickel tape was attached to all four edge parts where the PB was etched. The thickness of the used nickel tape was 1,000 nm.

(18) Production of device: A device (ITO/WO.sub.3/GPE/PB/ITO) was produced by bonding each laminate together via a GPE (gel polymer electrolyte) layer having an area size of 10 cm×7 cm and a thickness of 50 μm so that the WO.sub.3 layer of the first laminate and the PB layer of the second laminate could face each other.

(19) While a bleaching voltage and a coloring voltage were repeatedly applied to the device produced from the above at a constant cycle, the change in charge quantity of the device with time was observed. The bleaching and coloring voltages per cycle were 1.2V, respectively, and were applied for 50 seconds, respectively. For stabilization, a predetermined cycle was driven, and the changes of coloring and bleaching times according to the voltage application were observed. The results are as shown in FIG. 3.

Comparative Example

(20) A device was produced in the same method, except that upon producing the first and second laminates, only one edge of each of the WO.sub.3 layer and the PB layer was etched and the nickel tape was attached to only one etched edge. The measurement results of the color-switching times are as shown in FIG. 4.