Electrochemical mirror system and method

A method of operating an electrochemical mirror comprising:

• applying a first cathodic potential across electrodes of the mirror electrodeposit a mirror film on one electrode;
• applying a second anodic potential across the electrodes to strip the mirror film;
• and
• after a plurality of deposition and stripping cycles, initiating a cleaning cycle to remove any undissolved reflective material.

A electrochemical mirror system for reversibly controlling the propagation of electromagnetic radiation the system comprising:

• a first electrode transmissive substrate which is substantially transparent to the electromagnetic radiation;
• a second electrode;
• an electrolyte containing metal ions between the pair of electrodes;
• and
• a controller subsystem configured to:
• apply a first cathodic potential across the electrodes to cause the metal ions from the electrolyte to electrodeposit a mirror film on the first electrode transmissive substrate,
• apply a second anodic potential across the electrodes to oxidize and strip the metallic mirror film from the first electrode transmissive electrode, and
• after a plurality of deposition and stripping cycles, initiate a cleaning cycle to remove undissolved reflective material on said first electrode.

A electrochemical mirror system for reversibly controlling the propagation of electromagnetic radiation, the system comprising:

• a first electrode transmissive substrate which is substantially transparent to the electromagnetic radiation;
• a second electrode;
• an electrolyte containing metal ions between the pair of electrodes;
• and
• a controller subsystem configured to:
• apply a first potential across the electrodes to cause the metal ions from the electrolyte to electrodeposit a mirror film on the first electrode transmissive substrate,
• apply a second potential across the electrodes to oxidize and strip the metallic mirror film from the first electrode transmissive electrode, and
• after a plurality of deposition and stripping cycles, automatically initiating cleaning cycle to remove undissolved reflective material on said first electrode by applying a third potential across the electrodes which is increased to a forth potential and then decreased back to the third potential.