Electrochromic device and electronic equipment

Abstract

The invention provides an electrochromic device and electronic equipment, the electrochromic device comprises at least two electrochromic modules, and the two electrochromic modules are adjacent and are respectively a first electrochromic module and a second electrochromic module. The first electrochromism module comprises a first electrode layer, a first electrochromism layer and a second electrode layer which are sequentially arranged in a stacked mode, and the second electrochromism module comprises a third electrode layer, a second electrochromism layer and a fourth electrode layer which are sequentially arranged in a stacked mode. According to the electrochromic device, the double-layer or multi-layer electrochromic modules are adopted to display different contents in a layered mode, switching can be rapidly carried out only by controlling power-on and power-off of each layer of electrochromic module during switching, the display area is large, the structure is simple, and the cost is low.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of electrochromic devices, and in particular relates to an electrochromic device and an electronic device. Background Art

[0002] Electrochromism refers to the phenomenon in which optical properties (reflectivity, transmittance, absorptivity, etc.) undergo a stable, reversible color change under the influence of an applied electric field. Electrochromic technology has been developed for over 40 years. Electrochromic devices (ECDs), due to their continuous adjustability of transmitted light intensity, low energy loss, and open-circuit memory, have broad application prospects in smart windows, displays, spacecraft temperature control, automotive glare-free rearview mirrors, and stealth weaponry.

[0003] Electrochromic devices induce color changes through electrochemical redox reactions within electrochromic materials. These materials are categorized as inorganic and organic. Inorganic electrochromic materials are primarily transition metal oxides, with tungsten trioxide being a typical example. Electrochromic devices using tungsten trioxide as a functional material have already been industrialized. Organic electrochromic materials primarily include polythiophenes and their derivatives, viologens, tetrathiafulvalene, and metallophthalocyanine compounds.

[0004] Existing electrochromic devices are basically single-pattern display devices, that is, they only display a pattern or not, or display different patterns in different areas of the device. If you want to use the entire format to switch the display pattern information, you can only do so by making the electrochromic material into pixels and using a matrix drive method. This method is complex and expensive, and is not suitable for organic electrochromic materials. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention provides an electrochromic device and an electronic device to solve the problems of the existing electrochromic device such as single pattern display, complex process and high cost.

[0006] The present invention provides an electrochromic device, comprising at least two electrochromic modules, wherein the two electrochromic modules are adjacent to each other and are respectively a first electrochromic module and a second electrochromic module, wherein the first electrochromic module comprises a first electrode layer, a first electrochromic layer, and a second electrode layer stacked in sequence, and the second electrochromic module comprises a third electrode layer, a second electrochromic layer, and a fourth electrode layer stacked in sequence.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first electrochromic device and the second electrochromic module are stacked in a vertical direction or a horizontal direction.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first electrochromic layer includes a first color-changing material layer, a first electrolyte layer and a first ion storage layer stacked in sequence, and the second electrochromic layer includes a second color-changing material layer, a second electrolyte layer and a second ion storage layer stacked in sequence; wherein, the first color-changing material layer is close to the first electrode layer and the second ion storage layer is close to the third electrode layer, or the first ion storage layer is close to the first electrode layer and the second color-changing material layer is close to the third electrode layer, the first electrode layer and the third electrode layer are electrically connected, and the second electrode layer and the fourth electrode layer are insulated.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first electrochromic layer includes a first color-changing material layer, a first electrolyte layer and a first ion storage layer stacked in sequence, and the second electrochromic layer includes a second color-changing material layer, a second electrolyte layer and a second ion storage layer stacked in sequence; wherein, the first color-changing material layer is close to the first electrode layer and the second color-changing material layer is close to the third electrode layer, or the first ion storage layer is close to the first electrode layer and the second ion storage layer is close to the third electrode layer, the first electrode layer and the third electrode layer are electrically connected, and the second electrode layer and the fourth electrode layer are insulated.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first electrode layer has a first pattern area and a first non-pattern area, and the third electrode layer has a second pattern area and a second non-pattern area.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first color-changing material layer is a first color, and the second color-changing material layer is a second color.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first electrochromic module further includes a first base layer and a second base layer, the first base layer is located on a side of the first electrode layer away from the first electrochromic layer, and the second base layer is located on a side of the second electrode layer away from the first electrochromic layer. The second electrochromic module further includes a third base layer and a fourth base layer, the third base layer is located on a side of the third electrode layer away from the second electrochromic layer, and the fourth base layer is located on a side of the fourth electrode layer away from the second electrochromic layer.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the second electrode layer of the first electrochromic module and the third electrode layer of the second electrochromic module are disposed on opposite sides of the base layer.

[0014] The present invention also provides an electronic device comprising the electrochromic device as described above.

[0015] In the electrochromic device and electronic device of the present invention, double-layer or multi-layer electrochromic modules are used to display different contents in layers. When switching, it is only necessary to control the power on and off of each layer of electrochromic modules. The switching is fast, the display area is large, the structure is simple, and the cost is low.

[0016] For each layer of the electrochromic module using the same color material, the use of a multi-layer electrochromic module can achieve the effects of expanding the color gamut, enhancing contrast, and reducing light transmittance, and can increase the service life of the device. Under the premise of the same tinting depth, the response time can be significantly accelerated, which can be used to reduce light transmittance for scenes such as car windows or rearview mirrors.

[0017] Each layer of the electrochromic module uses materials of different coloring colors, and according to the principle of subtractive color mixing, a color gamut with adjustable grayscale can be achieved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the electrochromic device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the first structure of the electrochromic device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of a second structure of the electrochromic device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 4 for Figure 3 The schematic diagram of the structure of the electrochromic device is shown when it displays a pattern when powered on. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The following embodiments of the present invention are described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. The following examples are used to illustrate the present invention but are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0023] First embodiment

[0024] The present invention provides an electrochromic device, such as Figure 1 As shown, an electrochromic device of an embodiment includes at least two electrochromic modules, which are adjacent to each other and are respectively a first electrochromic module 10 and a second electrochromic module 20. The first electrochromic module 10 includes a first electrode layer 11, a first electrochromic layer 12, and a second electrode layer 13 stacked in sequence, and the second electrochromic module 20 includes a third electrode layer 21, a second electrochromic layer 22, and a fourth electrode layer 23 stacked in sequence.

[0025] In this embodiment, the first electrochromic module 10 and the second electrochromic module 20 are stacked in a horizontal direction. The first electrochromic module 10 and the second electrochromic module 20 are electrically connected to an external power source respectively.

[0026] In the electrochromic device of the present invention, double-layer or multi-layer electrochromic modules are used to display different contents in layers. When switching, it is only necessary to control the power on and off of each layer of electrochromic modules. It can switch quickly, has a large display area, and has a simple structure and low cost.

[0027] Specifically, the traditional pixel driving method requires the embedding of driving and control circuits at each pixel location, which increases the complexity and manufacturing difficulty of the device. However, using a double-layer or multi-layer device approach, it is only necessary to embed the control circuit at the power-on and power-off locations of each layer of the device, greatly simplifying the device structure. The pixel driving method requires precise control of the manufacturing process of each pixel, including material ratios and processing technology, which requires high technical requirements and complex process flows. In contrast, the layered display method of double-layer or multi-layer devices allows each layer of devices to use the same manufacturing process, reducing the process difficulty and manufacturing cost. The traditional pixel driving method requires the embedding of driving and control circuits at each pixel, which increases the manufacturing cost of the device. However, the layered display method of double-layer or multi-layer devices only requires the embedding of control circuits at the power-on and power-off locations of each layer of devices, thereby reducing the number of circuits. It can use conventional devices and control circuits, reducing the complexity of design and manufacturing and lowering manufacturing costs. Organic electrochromic materials are softer and thinner than inorganic materials and are often used in modern flexible display devices. However, traditional pixel driving methods pose challenges to the manufacture and use of organic electrochromic materials, such as material stability and durability. Dual-layer or multi-layer device display methods are more suitable for organic electrochromic materials because they can reduce material requirements and improve device stability and durability.

[0028] In this embodiment, the first electrochromic module 10 further includes a first base layer 14 and a second base layer 15, wherein the first base layer 14 is located on one side of the first electrode layer 11, and the second base layer 15 is located on one side of the second electrode layer 13. The second electrochromic module 20 further includes a third base layer 24 and a fourth base layer 25, wherein the third base layer 24 is located on one side of the third electrode layer 21, and the fourth base layer 25 is located on one side of the fourth electrode layer 23.

[0029] Specifically, the first electrochromic module 10 includes a first base layer 14, a first electrode layer 11, a first electrochromic layer 12, a second electrode layer 13 and a second base layer 15 stacked in sequence, and the second electrochromic module 20 includes a third base layer 24, a third electrode layer 21, a second electrochromic layer 22, a fourth electrode layer 23 and a fourth base layer 25 stacked in sequence.

[0030] In this embodiment, Figure 1 As shown, the first electrochromic module 10 and the second electrochromic module 20 are connected in series via the electrical connection between the first electrode layer 11 and the third electrode layer 21, and the non-contact between the second electrode layer 13 and the fourth electrode layer 23. If the first electrochromic module 10 is located at the edge of the electrochromic device, a first extraction electrode is electrically connected to the second electrode layer 13; if the second electrochromic module 20 is located at the edge of the electrochromic device, a second extraction electrode is electrically connected to the fourth electrode layer 23. The color change of the first and second electrochromic modules 10 and 20 is controlled by applying a voltage between the first and second extraction electrodes. The specific path is from the second electrode layer 13 to the first electrode layer 11, then to the third electrode layer 21, and finally to the fourth electrode layer 23. Since the first electrochromic module 10 and the second electrochromic module 20 are connected in series, the first electrochromic module 10 and the second electrochromic module 20 jointly divide the voltage applied between the first lead-out electrode and the second lead-out electrode, which is equivalent to applying the resulting voltage separately on the first electrochromic module 10 and the second electrochromic module 20 to control the first electrochromic module 10 and the second electrochromic module 20 to change color at the same time, thereby improving the overall color changing speed of the electrochromic device, and by dividing the large-width electrochromic device into several smaller electrochromic modules, the influence of the surface resistance of the electrode layer on the color changing process is reduced, thereby improving the color changing uniformity of each electrochromic module.

[0031] In this embodiment, the first electrochromic layer 12 includes a first color-changing material layer 121, a first electrolyte layer 122 and a first ion storage layer 123 stacked in sequence, and the second electrochromic layer 22 includes a second color-changing material layer 221, a second electrolyte layer 222 and a second ion storage layer 223 stacked in sequence; wherein, the first color-changing material layer 121 is close to the first electrode layer 11 and the second ion storage layer 223 is close to the third electrode layer 21, or the first ion storage layer 123 is close to the first electrode layer 11 and the second color-changing material layer 221 is close to the third electrode layer 21.

[0032] Specifically, in the two aforementioned cases, the voltages applied to the two electrochromic modules are in the same direction, and the ion storage layers and color-changing material layers of the two electrochromic modules are in the same position. When a voltage is applied between the first electrode layer 11 and the third electrode layer 21, the two electrochromic modules exhibit the same coloration state, i.e., color changes in the same direction.

[0033] In another preferred embodiment, the first electrochromic layer 12 includes a first color-changing material layer 121, a first electrolyte layer 122 and a first ion storage layer 123 stacked in sequence, and the second electrochromic layer 22 includes a second color-changing material layer 221, a second electrolyte layer 222 and a second ion storage layer 223 stacked in sequence; wherein the first color-changing material layer 121 is close to the first electrode layer 11 and the second color-changing material layer 221 is close to the third electrode layer 21, or the first ion storage layer 123 is close to the first electrode layer 11 and the second ion storage layer 223 is close to the third electrode layer 21.

[0034] Specifically, in the above two cases, the voltages applied to the first electrochromic module 10 and the second electrochromic module 20 are opposite, and the positions of the first ion storage layer 123 and the second ion storage layer 223, and the first color-changing material layer 121 and the second color-changing material layer 221 in the first electrochromic module 10 and the second electrochromic module 20 are opposite. When a voltage is applied between the first electrode layer 11 and the third electrode layer 21, the coloring states of the first electrochromic module 10 and the second electrochromic module 20 are opposite (for example, if the coloring state of the first electrochromic module 10 is the colored state, the coloring state of the second electrochromic module 20 is the decolored state), thus achieving anisotropic color change.

[0035] In this embodiment, the electrode layer can use PET (transparent polyethylene terephthalate) film as the substrate material, and can be prepared by evaporating ITO (indium tin oxide) on its surface, attaching a metal grid, or coating nano silver paste silver wire. It can also use ultra-thin glass, PI (polyimide), PC (polycarbonate) and other materials as the substrate. The color-changing material can be coated with materials such as polythiophene, violet essence, pedot, etc., and can also be prepared by deposition or sputtering of transition metal oxide materials such as WO3. The electrolyte layer can be composed of lithium salt dissolved in an organic solvent to form a gel with PMMA or PC, etc., and a semi-solid device can be prepared. For example, a 1 mol / L lithium perchlorate (LiClO4) / propylene carbonate (PC) solution is used, and the ion storage layer can be Li X NiO Y solution.

[0036] The electrochromic module in the electrochromic device uses a DC power supply to supply power to the electrode layer to achieve coloring. For an electrochromic module with a width of 5cm*5cm, the power supply voltage is generally about 2V~5V;

[0037] In this embodiment, the patterns on different electrochromic modules can also be combined into associated patterns through spatial arrangement design, that is, they can be powered and displayed simultaneously. Specifically, the first electrode layer 11 has a first pattern area and a first non-pattern area, and the third electrode layer 21 has a second pattern area and a second non-pattern area, wherein the pattern of the first pattern area and the pattern of the second pattern area are complementary. When the first electrochromic module 10 and the second electrochromic module 20 are powered on at the same time, the first electrochromic module 10 and the second electrochromic module 20 are both colored and display patterns, and the two patterns piece together complete pattern information. The display pattern can be formed by engraving the electrodes, and can be made on the electrode layer of the electrochromic module close to the color-changing material layer, that is, the first electrode layer 11 of the first electrochromic module 10 and the third electrode layer 21 of the second electrochromic module 20. For the ITO electrode on the PET surface, laser ablation or chemical solution etching can be used. Of course, the electrochromic device may have three or more electrochromic modules, the electrochromic layer in each electrochromic module is provided with a pattern and the patterns are interconnected, and power is supplied at the same time for combined display.

[0038] Second embodiment

[0039] The electrochromic device of this embodiment has a similar structure to that of the first embodiment, except that the first electrochromic module 10 and the second electrochromic module 20 are stacked in a vertical direction.

[0040] like Figure 2 As shown, the first electrochromic module 10 and the second electrochromic module 20 are vertically stacked. The first electrochromic module 10 and the second electrochromic module 20 are sequentially connected and electrically connected to an external power source.

[0041] In another preferred embodiment, Figure 3 As shown, the second electrode layer 13 of the first electrochromic module 10 and the third electrode layer 21 of the second electrochromic module 20 are disposed on opposite sides of a substrate. It will be appreciated that the second electrode layer 13 and the third electrode layer 21 are attached to opposite sides of the second substrate 15 or the third substrate 24, respectively, to form double-sided electrodes. The first electrochromic module 10 and the second electrochromic module 20 are stacked one on top of the other via the double-sided electrodes. The first electrochromic module 10 and the second electrochromic module 20 are connected to form a single integrated device via the double-sided electrodes. This means that electrodes are attached to both sides of the thin film used in the middle. These electrodes can be metal electrodes, nanosilver wire silver paste electrodes, indium tin oxide electrodes, or other materials.

[0042] By superimposing double-sided electrodes, the first electrochromic module 10 and the second electrochromic module 20 can be tightly stacked in the vertical direction, and only the second base layer 15 or only the third base layer 24 can be used, reducing one base layer, thereby reducing the longitudinal thickness of the entire device; the first electrochromic module 10 and the second electrochromic module 20 can be more closely combined together, reducing space occupancy. This compact design helps to improve the integration and overall performance of the electrochromic device; it reduces the complexity of connections and the need for electrode wiring, simplifies the manufacturing process of the device, and improves manufacturing reliability. Each layer of the double-layer device displays a different pattern, and the upper and lower layers can be combined to display patterns in different regions or can display different patterns separately to meet the switching display requirements. Figure 4 As shown, by laser ablating patterns in the first electrode layer 11 and the third electrode layer 21, the pattern of the first electrochromic module 10 is YES, and the pattern of the second electrochromic module 20 is NO. When power is supplied to the first electrochromic module 10, YES is displayed, and when power is supplied to the second electrochromic module 20, NO is displayed. At the same time, the electrochromic materials in the first electrochromic module 10 and the second electrochromic module 20 can be set to different colors. Specifically, the first color-changing material layer 121 is a first color, and the second color-changing material layer 221 is a second color. The first color and the second color are different. When the first color-changing material layer 121 and the second color-changing material layer 221 are colored simultaneously, mixed colors can be achieved to achieve the purpose of expanding the color gamut.

[0043] The calculation method for superimposing multiple translucent colors in subtractive color mixing theory: In general mathematical calculations, the color value is:

[0044] R,G,B∈[0,255],A∈[0,1]

[0045] So for general color mixing we have:

[0046] Color(RGBA)=Color(R1B1G1A1)+Color(R2G2B2A2)

[0047] The color mixing algorithm is as follows:

[0048] A=1-(1-α1)*(1-α2)

[0049]

[0050]

[0051]

[0052] Among them, A is the transmittance, R1G1B1A1 are the RGB value and reflectivity of the mixed foreground color, and R2G2B2A2 are the RGB value and reflectivity of the mixed background color.

[0053] It is understood that the first color of the first color-changing material layer 121 and the second color of the second color-changing material layer 221 can also be the same. The first electrochromic module 10 and the second electrochromic module 20 have the same color after coloring. When stacked vertically, they can achieve the effects of expanding the color gamut, enhancing contrast, and reducing light transmittance. This can also increase the service life of the device. Under the premise of the same color depth, the response time is accelerated, which can be used to reduce light transmittance in scenes such as vehicle windows or rearview mirrors.

[0054] The present invention also provides an electronic device comprising the electrochromic device described above and having the corresponding functional structure and beneficial effects of the electrochromic device. Specifically, the electronic device can be a color-changing glass window, an electronic screen, an anti-glare mirror, etc.

[0055] In this document, unless otherwise specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed, removable, or integral connections; mechanical or electrical connections; direct or indirect connections through an intermediary; and internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of these terms based on specific circumstances.

[0056] In this document, the directions or positional relationships indicated by terms such as "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "vertical", and "horizontal" are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the clarity of the technical solution and the convenience of description, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0057] As used herein, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion of elements other than the listed elements and may also include additional elements not specifically listed.

[0058] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any modifications or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. An electrochromic device, characterized in that: The invention comprises at least two electrochromic modules, wherein the two electrochromic modules are adjacent to each other and are respectively a first electrochromic module (10) and a second electrochromic module (20); the first electrochromic module (10) comprises a first electrode layer (11), a first electrochromic layer (12), and a second electrode layer (13) stacked in sequence; and the second electrochromic module (20) comprises a third electrode layer (21), a second electrochromic layer (22), and a fourth electrode layer (23) stacked in sequence.

2. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, characterized in that The first electrochromic module (10) and the second electrochromic module (20) are stacked in a vertical direction or a horizontal direction.

3. The electrochromic device according to claim 2, characterized in that The first electrochromic layer (12) comprises a first color-changing material layer (121), a first electrolyte layer (122) and a first ion storage layer (123) stacked in sequence, and the second electrochromic layer (22) comprises a second color-changing material layer (221), a second electrolyte layer (222) and a second ion storage layer (223) stacked in sequence; wherein the first color-changing material layer (121) is close to the first electrode layer (11) and the second ion storage layer (223) is close to the third electrode layer (21), or the first ion storage layer (123) is close to the first electrode layer (11) and the second color-changing material layer (221) is close to the third electrode layer (21), the first electrode layer (11) and the third electrode layer (21) are electrically connected, and the second electrode layer (13) and the fourth electrode layer (23) are insulated.

4. The electrochromic device according to claim 2, characterized in that The first electrochromic layer (12) comprises a first color-changing material layer (121), a first electrolyte layer (122) and a first ion storage layer (123) stacked in sequence, and the second electrochromic layer (22) comprises a second color-changing material layer (221), a second electrolyte layer (222) and a second ion storage layer (223) stacked in sequence; wherein the first color-changing material layer (121) is close to the first electrode layer (11) and the second color-changing material layer (221) is close to the third electrode layer (21), or the first ion storage layer (123) is close to the first electrode layer (11) and the second ion storage layer (223) is close to the third electrode layer (21), the first electrode layer (11) and the third electrode layer (21) are electrically connected, and the second electrode layer (13) and the fourth electrode layer (23) are insulated.

5. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, characterized in that The first electrode layer (11) has a first pattern area and a first non-pattern area, and the third electrode layer (21) has a second pattern area and a second non-pattern area.

6. The electrochromic device according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: The first color-changing material layer (121) is a first color, and the second color-changing material layer (221) is a second color.

7. The electrochromic device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first electrochromic module (10) further comprises a first base layer (14) and a second base layer (15), wherein the first base layer (14) is located on a side of the first electrode layer (11) away from the first electrochromic layer (12), and the second base layer (15) is located on a side of the second electrode layer (13) away from the first electrochromic layer (12); the second electrochromic module (20) further comprises a third base layer (24) and a fourth base layer (25), wherein the third base layer (24) is located on a side of the third electrode layer (21) away from the second electrochromic layer (22), and the fourth base layer (25) is located on a side of the fourth electrode layer (23) away from the second electrochromic layer (22).

8. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, characterized in that The second electrode layer (13) of the first electrochromic module (10) and the third electrode layer (21) of the second electrochromic module (20) are arranged on two opposite sides of the base layer.

9. An electronic device, characterized in that: The invention comprises the electrochromic device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

Images