Method for preparing electrochromic device and electrochromic device
By preparing an ITO film on optical glass and closely contacting it with the electrochromic device, the problem of long response time of large-area electrochromic devices was solved, and significant improvements in voltage uniformity and response time were achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202211181812.1
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2022-09-27
- Publication Date
- 2025-09-09
- Estimated Expiration
- 2042-09-27
AI Technical Summary
The response time of large-area electrochromic devices is relatively long, mainly because the voltage non-uniformity of the transparent conductive film causes the redox reaction time of the electrochromic material to vary.
After preparing the electrochromic device on the flexible substrate, it is removed from the substrate and an ITO film is prepared on optical glass. The shapes of the optical glass and the electrochromic device are matched by hot pressing, and then the electrochromic device is pressed onto the ITO film to ensure that the transparent conductive electrode is in full contact with the curved ITO glass, reducing voltage drop and improving voltage uniformity.
The response time of flexible large-area electrochromic devices is significantly reduced, and the application effect of electrochromism is improved.
Smart Images
Figure CN115933263B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of electrochromic devices, and in particular to a method for preparing an electrochromic device and an electrochromic device. Background Art
[0002] Flexible electrochromic devices have broad application prospects in building integration, smart glass, transparent windows, and smart displays, and they have a very large future market. Their primary color-changing mechanism is that an electric field triggers a redox reaction in the electrochromic layer, causing the material's energy levels to shift, with the energy dissipated as light. A key indicator of the quality of an electrochromic device is its response time. This response time is the time it takes for an electrochromic device to transition from a faded state to a colored state, or vice versa, when driven by an external voltage.
[0003] At present, in the related technology, for a smaller area (such as 1cm 2 Electrochromic devices with uniform light emission and short response times are common. However, for large-area electrochromic devices, due to their large size, the color-changing material at the outermost edge changes color first, gradually moving inward. This significantly prolongs the response time and seriously affects the effectiveness of electrochromic applications.
[0004] In summary, the problems existing in related technologies need to be solved urgently. Summary of the Invention
[0005] The purpose of this application is to solve one of the technical problems existing in the related art to at least a certain extent.
[0006] To this end, an object of embodiments of the present application is to provide a method for preparing an electrochromic device and an electrochromic device.
[0007] In order to achieve the above technical objectives, the technical solutions adopted in the embodiments of the present application include:
[0008] In one aspect, the present invention provides a method for preparing an electrochromic device, comprising the following steps:
[0009] Preparation of pristine electrochromic devices on flexible substrates;
[0010] removing the original electrochromic device from the flexible substrate to obtain an electrochromic device to be processed;
[0011] Prepare ITO thin film on the surface of optical glass;
[0012] The electrochromic device to be processed is pressed onto the ITO film of the optical glass to obtain a prepared electrochromic device.
[0013] In addition, the method for preparing an electrochromic device according to the above embodiment of the present application may also have the following additional technical features:
[0014] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present application, the flexible substrate includes polyvinyl butyral, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene terephthalate, polyimide, polyethylene naphthalate or polydimethylsiloxane.
[0015] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present application, after the step of preparing the ITO thin film on the surface of the optical glass, the method further comprises:
[0016] The optical glass is processed by a hot pressing method so that the optical glass and the electrochromic device to be processed have the same shape.
[0017] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present application, the step of pressing the electrochromic device to be processed onto the ITO film of the optical glass to obtain the prepared electrochromic device comprises:
[0018] Pressing the first transparent conductive electrode of the electrochromic device to be processed onto the ITO film of the optical glass;
[0019] The second transparent conductive electrode of the electrochromic device to be processed is pressed onto the ITO film of another piece of optical glass to obtain a prepared electrochromic device; wherein the first transparent conductive electrode is located at the first end of the electrochromic device to be processed, and the second transparent conductive electrode is located at the second end of the electrochromic device to be processed.
[0020] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present application, the step of preparing an ITO film on the surface of optical glass comprises:
[0021] An ITO film is prepared on the surface of the optical glass by magnetron sputtering.
[0022] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present application provides an electrochromic device, comprising a first optical glass, a first transparent conductive electrode, an electrochromic layer, an electrolyte layer, an ion storage layer, a second transparent conductive electrode, and a second optical glass, which are laminated in sequence;
[0023] Wherein, a sputtered ITO film is present on the surface of the first optical glass in contact with the first transparent conductive electrode; a sputtered ITO film is present on the surface of the second optical glass in contact with the second transparent conductive electrode;
[0024] The electrochromic device is prepared by the above method.
[0025] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present application, the area of the electrochromic device is greater than 1 cm 2 .
[0026] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present application, the shape of the electrochromic device is arched or semicircular, and the electrochromic device meets a predetermined curvature radius.
[0027] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device including the electrochromic device as described above.
[0028] The advantages and benefits of this application will be partially given in the following description, and partially become apparent from the following description, or learned through practice of this application:
[0029] The present invention discloses a method for preparing an electrochromic device and an electrochromic device. The method comprises: preparing a raw electrochromic device on a flexible substrate; removing the raw electrochromic device from the flexible substrate to obtain a processed electrochromic device; preparing an indium tin oxide (ITO) film on the surface of optical glass; and press-attaching the processed electrochromic device to the ITO film on the optical glass to obtain a prepared electrochromic device. The electrochromic device prepared by this method significantly improves voltage uniformity, reduces the response time of flexible large-area electrochromic devices, and improves the application effect of electrochromism. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0030] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following introduction is made to the drawings of the embodiments of the present application or the related technical solutions in the prior art. It should be understood that the drawings introduced below are only for the convenience of clearly describing some embodiments of the technical solutions of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.
[0031] Figure 1 A schematic flow chart of a method for preparing an electrochromic device provided in an embodiment of the present application;
[0032] Figure 2 This is a schematic structural diagram of an electrochromic device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0033] The present application is further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. The described embodiments should not be considered as limiting the present application. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.
[0034] In the following description, reference is made to “some embodiments”, which describes a subset of all possible embodiments, but it will be understood that “some embodiments” may be the same subset or different subsets of all possible embodiments and may be combined with each other without conflict.
[0035] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this application pertains. The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing the embodiments of this application only and are not intended to limit this application.
[0036] Flexible electrochromic devices have broad application prospects in building integration, smart glass, transparent windows, and smart displays, and they have a very large future market. Their primary color-changing mechanism is that an electric field triggers a redox reaction in the electrochromic layer, causing the material's energy levels to shift, with the energy dissipated as light. A key indicator of the quality of an electrochromic device is its response time. This response time is the time it takes for an electrochromic device to transition from a faded state to a colored state, or vice versa, when driven by an external voltage.
[0037] At present, in the related technology, for a smaller area (such as 1cm 2 Electrochromic devices with uniform light emission and short response times are common. However, for large-area electrochromic devices, due to their large size, the color-changing material at the outermost edge changes color first, gradually moving inward. This significantly prolongs the response time and seriously affects the effectiveness of electrochromic applications.
[0038] Research has found that a significant factor affecting the response time of flexible electrochromic devices is the inherently high sheet resistance of transparent conductive films. When voltage is applied across the film, a voltage drop occurs at locations farther away from the film. This uneven voltage causes the electrochromic material's redox reaction to take place at varying times, significantly prolonging the film's response time.
[0039] To address the problem of poor voltage uniformity in the transparent conductive film of an electrochromic device, which results in a long response time for large-area electrochromic devices, a method for preparing an electrochromic device is provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method first prepares the electrochromic device on a flexible substrate and then completely removes the electrochromic device from the flexible substrate. A layer of ITO (indium tin oxide) thin film is then magnetron sputtered onto a smooth, flat optical glass surface. The resulting glass is referred to as ITO glass. The ITO glass is then bent into a specific shape using a hot pressing method. Finally, the electrochromic device, with the flexible substrate removed, is pressed onto the ITO film on the optical glass, ensuring that the transparent conductive electrodes at both ends of the device are in full contact with the bent ITO glass. The transparent conductive film of the flexible, large-area electrochromic device itself has a large sheet resistance. By fully contacting the ITO film on the bent glass, the ITO film can significantly reduce the sheet resistance of the flexible electrochromic conductive film, thereby increasing the electron migration rate of the electrode. When a voltage is applied across the device, the voltage drop is reduced, and the voltage is uniform across the device, ultimately significantly reducing the response time of the flexible electrochromic device.
[0040] Specifically, first, please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a flow chart of a method for preparing an electrochromic device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 The method for preparing an electrochromic device includes but is not limited to:
[0041] Step 110: preparing an original electrochromic device on a flexible substrate;
[0042] Step 120: removing the original electrochromic device from the flexible substrate to obtain an electrochromic device to be processed;
[0043] Step 130: preparing an ITO film on the surface of the optical glass;
[0044] Step 140 : Press the electrochromic device to be processed onto the ITO film on the optical glass to obtain a prepared electrochromic device.
[0045] In the embodiment of the present application, when preparing an electrochromic device, first, you can choose to prepare it on a flexible substrate, and the finished product is recorded as the original electrochromic device. Then, for the original electrochromic device obtained, it can be removed from the flexible substrate to obtain the electrochromic device to be processed. Next, ITO glass can be prepared. Specifically, smooth and transparent optical glass is selected, and a layer of ITO film is prepared on the surface of the optical glass to obtain ITO glass. Here, when preparing the ITO film on the surface of the optical glass, magnetron sputtering can be used. Magnetron sputtering is a type of physical vapor deposition (PVD). It can be used to prepare multiple materials such as metals, semiconductors, insulators, and has the advantages of simple equipment, easy control, large coating area and strong adhesion. After obtaining the prepared ITO glass, the previously removed electrochromic device to be processed without a flexible substrate can be pressed onto the ITO film of the optical glass, thereby obtaining the prepared electrochromic device.
[0046] It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, when preparing the original electrochromic device, the flexible substrate that can be used includes but is not limited to any one of PVB (polyvinyl butyral), PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PVA (polyvinyl alcohol), PI (polyimide), PEN (polyethylene naphthalate) or PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), and the present application does not impose any restrictions on this.
[0047] It is understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the specific shape of the electrochromic device can be flexibly set as needed, and the present application does not impose any restrictions on this. In order to better bond the ITO glass to the electrochromic device to be processed, in some embodiments, after the step of preparing the ITO film on the surface of the optical glass, the method further includes:
[0048] The optical glass is processed by a hot pressing method so that the optical glass and the electrochromic device to be processed have the same shape.
[0049] In the embodiment of the present application, after the ITO glass is prepared, it can be processed by hot pressing so that the optical glass and the electrochromic device to be processed have the same shape, which facilitates the subsequent pressing work and thus obtains a compact and well-fitting electrochromic device.
[0050] In some embodiments, the step of pressing the electrochromic device to be processed onto the ITO film of the optical glass to obtain the prepared electrochromic device includes:
[0051] Pressing the first transparent conductive electrode of the electrochromic device to be processed onto the ITO film of the optical glass;
[0052] The second transparent conductive electrode of the electrochromic device to be processed is pressed onto the ITO film of another piece of optical glass to obtain a prepared electrochromic device; wherein the first transparent conductive electrode is located at the first end of the electrochromic device to be processed, and the second transparent conductive electrode is located at the second end of the electrochromic device to be processed.
[0053] In the embodiment of the present application, specifically when the electrochromic device to be processed is pressed onto the ITO film of optical glass, since the electrochromic device to be processed has transparent conductive electrodes on two sides, it is first necessary to prepare two pieces of prepared ITO glass. Then, the transparent conductive electrode located at the first end of the electrochromic device to be processed is recorded as the first transparent conductive electrode, and the transparent conductive electrode located at the second end of the electrochromic device to be processed is recorded as the second transparent conductive electrode, where the first end and the second end are the two sides of the electrochromic device to be processed. Then, the first transparent conductive electrode can be pressed onto the ITO film of a piece of optical glass, and the second transparent conductive electrode of the electrochromic device to be processed can be pressed onto the ITO film of another piece of optical glass, thereby obtaining the prepared electrochromic device.
[0054] In an embodiment of the present application, an electrochromic device is further provided, comprising a first optical glass, a first transparent conductive electrode, an electrochromic layer, an electrolyte layer, an ion storage layer, a second transparent conductive electrode, and a second optical glass laminated in sequence;
[0055] Wherein, a sputtered ITO film is present on the surface of the first optical glass in contact with the first transparent conductive electrode; a sputtered ITO film is present on the surface of the second optical glass in contact with the second transparent conductive electrode;
[0056] The electrochromic device is prepared by the above method.
[0057] In the embodiment of the present application, an electrochromic device prepared based on the above method is provided. Figure 2 In some embodiments, the shape of the electrochromic device can be arched, that is, each layer can be curved or semicircular, and its shape satisfies a pre-set curvature radius. Of course, the present application does not limit its specific shape, and it can be flexibly adjusted as needed. In the electrochromic device, two ITO glasses are included on both sides, which are recorded as the first optical glass and the second optical glass. Among them, there is a sputtered ITO film on the side of the first optical glass that contacts the first transparent conductive electrode, and there is a sputtered ITO film on the side of the second optical glass that contacts the second transparent conductive electrode. In addition to the transparent conductive electrode, the inward layer also includes an electrochromic layer, an electrolyte layer and an ion storage layer. The preparation method of these layers can be achieved by referring to the existing technology, and this application will not elaborate on this.
[0058] In some embodiments, the above method can be used to prepare an area larger than 1 cm 2 For electrochromic devices with smaller areas, conventional methods can be used for preparation, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.
[0059] It will be appreciated that the embodiments of this application provide an electrochromic device. This electrochromic device can be fabricated by pressing an electrochromic device without a flexible substrate onto an indium tin oxide (ITO) glass substrate. The introduction of ITO glass at both ends of the device significantly improves voltage uniformity across the device, reducing the response time of flexible, large-area electrochromic devices and improving the electrochromic application.
[0060] In an embodiment of the present application, an electronic device is further provided, the electronic device including the aforementioned electrochromic device. For example, in some embodiments, the electronic device includes a display, the screen of which can be made of or include the aforementioned electrochromic device.
[0061] It is understandable that if Figure 2 The contents of the electrochromic device embodiment shown in FIG. 1 are all applicable to the electronic device embodiment. The functions specifically implemented by the electronic device embodiment are similar to those in FIG. Figure 2 The electrochromic device embodiment shown is the same as that shown in FIG. Figure 2 The beneficial effects achieved by the electrochromic device embodiment shown are also the same.
[0062] In some optional embodiments, the functions / operations mentioned in the block diagram may not occur in the order mentioned in the operation diagram. For example, depending on the functions / operations involved, the two boxes shown in succession may actually be executed substantially simultaneously or the boxes can sometimes be executed in reverse order. In addition, the embodiments presented and described in the flow chart of the present application are provided in an exemplary manner for the purpose of providing a more comprehensive understanding of the technology. The disclosed method is not limited to the operations and logic flows presented herein. Optional embodiments are contemplated in which the order of the various operations is changed and the sub-operations described as a part of a larger operation are performed independently.
[0063] The logic and / or steps represented in the flowcharts or otherwise described herein, for example, can be considered as an ordered list of executable instructions for implementing the logical functions, and can be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use by, or in conjunction with, an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device (e.g., a computer-based system, a system including a processor, or other system that can fetch and execute instructions from an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device). For purposes of this specification, a "computer-readable medium" can be any device that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by, or in conjunction with, an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.
[0064] It should be understood that various parts of the present application can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. In the above embodiments, multiple steps or methods can be implemented using software or firmware stored in a memory and executed by a suitable instruction execution system. For example, if implemented using hardware, as in another embodiment, any one of the following technologies known in the art or a combination thereof can be used to implement: a discrete logic circuit having a logic gate circuit for implementing a logic function on a data signal, an application-specific integrated circuit having a suitable combination of logic gate circuits, a programmable gate array (PGA), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc.
[0065] In the above description of this specification, reference to the terms "one embodiment / example," "another embodiment / example," or "certain embodiments / examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, the schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described can be combined in any appropriate manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.
[0066] Although the embodiments of the present application have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and intent of the present application, and that the scope of the present application is defined by the claims and their equivalents.
[0067] The above is a detailed description of the preferred implementation of the present application, but the present application is not limited to the embodiments. Those skilled in the art can make various equivalent modifications or substitutions without violating the spirit of the present application. These equivalent modifications or substitutions are all included in the scope defined by the claims of the present application.
[0068] In the description of this specification, reference to the terms "one embodiment," "another embodiment," or "certain embodiments" means that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, the schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described can be combined in any appropriate manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.
[0069] Although the embodiments of the present application have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and intent of the present application, and that the scope of the present application is defined by the claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1. A method for preparing an electrochromic device, characterized in that: include: Preparation of pristine electrochromic devices on flexible substrates; removing the original electrochromic device from the flexible substrate to obtain an electrochromic device to be processed; Prepare ITO thin film on the surface of optical glass; Pressing the electrochromic device to be processed onto the ITO film of the optical glass to obtain a prepared electrochromic device; The electrochromic device to be processed is pressed onto the ITO film of the optical glass to obtain the prepared electrochromic device, comprising: Pressing the first transparent conductive electrode of the electrochromic device to be processed onto the ITO film of the optical glass; The second transparent conductive electrode of the electrochromic device to be processed is pressed onto the ITO film of another piece of optical glass to obtain a prepared electrochromic device; wherein the first transparent conductive electrode is located at the first end of the electrochromic device to be processed, and the second transparent conductive electrode is located at the second end of the electrochromic device to be processed.
2. The method for preparing an electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein: The flexible substrate includes polyvinyl butyral, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene terephthalate, polyimide, polyethylene naphthalate or polydimethylsiloxane.
3. The method for preparing an electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein: After the step of preparing the ITO film on the surface of the optical glass, the method further comprises: The optical glass is processed by a hot pressing method so that the optical glass and the electrochromic device to be processed have the same shape.
4. The method for preparing an electrochromic device according to claim 1, wherein: The method of preparing an ITO film on the surface of optical glass comprises: An ITO film is prepared on the surface of the optical glass by magnetron sputtering.
5. An electrochromic device, characterized in that: The method comprises a first optical glass, a first transparent conductive electrode, an electrochromic layer, an electrolyte layer, an ion storage layer, a second transparent conductive electrode and a second optical glass which are laminated in sequence; Wherein, a sputtered ITO film is present on the surface of the first optical glass in contact with the first transparent conductive electrode; a sputtered ITO film is present on the surface of the second optical glass in contact with the second transparent conductive electrode; The electrochromic device is prepared by the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
6. The electrochromic device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The area of the electrochromic device is greater than 1 cm 2 .
7. The electrochromic device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The shape of the electrochromic device is arched or semicircular, and the electrochromic device meets a predetermined curvature radius.
8. An electronic device, characterized in that: Comprising the electrochromic device as claimed in claim 5.
Citation Information
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