Electrochromic devices
AssigneeView, Inc.
InventorsZhongchun Wang, Anshu Pradhan, Robert Rozbicki
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Abstract
Conventional electrochromic devices frequently suffer from poor reliability and poor performance. Improvements are made using entirely solid and inorganic materials. Electrochromic devices are fabricated by forming an ion conducting electronically insulating interfacial region that serves as an IC layer. In some methods, the interfacial region is formed after formation of an electrochromic and a counter electrode layer. The interfacial region contains an ion conducting electronically insulating material along with components of the electrochromic and/or the counter electrode layer. Materials and microstructure of the electrochromic devices provide improvements in performance and reliability over conventional devices.
Claims46
An electrochromic device comprising:
- (a) an electrochromic layer comprising an electrochromic material;
- (b) a counter electrode layer comprising a counter electrode material;
- and
- (c) an interfacial region between the electrochromic layer and the counter electrode layer, wherein the interfacial region comprises a mixture of:
- (i) a substantially electronically insulating ion conducting material, and (ii) at least one of the electrochromic material, the counter electrode material and an additional material, where the additional material includes distinct electrochromic or counter electrode material, wherein the electrochromic material undergoes a first electrochromic transition when exposed to a potential of magnitude sufficient to drive the first electrochromic transition, and wherein the counter electrode material undergoes a second electrochromic transition when exposed to a potential of magnitude sufficient to drive the second electrochromic transition, and wherein at least one of the electrochromic material and the counter electrode material contains lithium.
An electrochromic device comprising:
- (a) an electrochromic layer comprising tungsten oxide;
- (b) a counter electrode layer comprising nickel tungsten oxide;
- and
- (c) an interfacial region between the electrochromic layer and the counter electrode layer, wherein the interfacial region comprises a mixture of lithium tungstate and at least one of tungsten oxide and nickel tungsten oxide.
An electrochromic device precursor comprising:
- (a) a substrate;
- (b) a first transparent conducting oxide layer on the substrate;
- (c) a stack on the first transparent conducting oxide layer, the stack comprising:
- (i) an electrochromic layer comprising an electrochromic material;
- (ii) a counter electrode layer comprising a counter electrode material;
- where the stack does not comprise an ion conducting and electrically insulating region between the electrochromic layer and the counter electrode layer;
- and
- (d) a second transparent conducting oxide layer on top of the stack,
- wherein the electrochromic material undergoes a first electrochromic transition when exposed to a potential of magnitude sufficient to drive the first electrochromic transition, and wherein the counter electrode material undergoes a second electrochromic transition when exposed to a potential of magnitude sufficient to drive the second electrochromic transition, and wherein at least one of the electrochromic material and the counter electrode material contains lithium.
An electrochromic device comprising:
- (a) an electrochromic layer comprising an electrochromic material;
- and
- (b) a counter electrode layer comprising a counter electrode material;
- wherein the device does not contain a compositionally homogeneous layer of electrically insulating, ion conducting material between the electrochromic layer and the counter electrode layer;
- wherein the electrochromic material undergoes a first electrochromic transition when exposed to a potential of magnitude sufficient to drive the first electrochromic transition, and wherein the counter electrode material undergoes a second electrochromic transition when exposed to a potential of magnitude sufficient to drive the second electrochromic transition, and wherein at least one of the electrochromic material and the counter electrode material contains lithium.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.