SPD films and light valves comprising liquid suspensions of heat-reflective particles of mixed metal oxides and methods of making such particles
AssigneeResearch Frontiers Incorporated
InventorRobert L. Saxe
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Abstract
An electro-optical device including a cell formed of opposed cell walls, a light modulating unit comprising a suspension containing anisometrically-shaped particles formed of a heat-reflective mixed metal oxide, e.g., bismuth manganese oxide, suspended in a liquid suspending medium between the cell walls, and opposed electrodes operatively associated with the cell walls for applying an electrical field across the suspension, wherein the particles have an average length in a range between about 1 micron and about 50 nanometers.
Claims34
An electro-optical device comprising a cell formed of opposed cell walls, a light modulating unit comprising a suspension containing anisometrically shaped particles comprising a heat-reflective mixed metal oxide suspended in a liquid suspending medium between said cell walls, and opposed electrodes operatively associated with the cell walls for applying an electrical field across the suspension, wherein said particles have an average length in a range between about 1 micron and about 50 nanometers.
The device according to claim 9, wherein said particles have an aspect ratio of at least about 10:1.
- 11.The device according to claim 10, wherein said particles have an aspect ratio of at least about 20:1.
In a liquid light valve suspension, the improvement comprising a plurality of anisometrically shaped particles comprising a heat-reflective mixed metal oxide suspended therein, wherein said particles have an average length of between about 50-200 nanometers.
A film suitable for use as the light-modulating unit of an SPD light valve, said film comprising a cross-linked polymer matrix and having droplets of a liquid light valve suspension distributed in the cross-linked polymer matrix, said liquid light valve suspension comprising a plurality of heat-reflective mixed metal oxide particles suspended in a liquid suspending medium, wherein said particles have an average length of between about 50-200 nanometers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.