Electrochromic device

Abstract

The utility model relates to an electrochromic device, in particular to an electrochromic device containing a conductive metal layer inside. The conductive metal layer is arranged on one side parallel to the electrochromic (PDLC) layer, and an electrode is arranged on one free surface of the conductive metal layer; in order to protect the conductive metal layer and the electrode, a protective layer is arranged on one side of the conductive metal layer and the electrode, so that the conductive metal layer, the electrode and the PDLC layer can be packaged and protected.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of electrochromic devices, and in particular to an electrochromic device having a conductive metal layer and a protective layer. Background Art

[0002] Electrochromism is the phenomenon that the optical properties (reflectivity, transmittance, absorptivity, etc.) of a material undergo stable and reversible color changes under the action of an external electric field, which is manifested in the reversible changes of color and transparency. Materials with electrochromic properties are called electrochromic materials, and devices made of electrochromic materials are called electrochromic devices.

[0003] A good example of an electrochromic material is polyaniline, which can be formed by an electrochemical process or by chemical oxidation of aniline. If an electrode is immersed in a hydrochloric acid solution containing a low concentration of aniline, a polyaniline film will form on the electrode. Depending on the oxidation state, polyaniline can appear light yellow or dark green / black. Electrochromic materials include tungsten oxide (WO3), and its main chemical use is to make electrochromic windows or smart windows.

[0004] Because the color change is permanent and requires energy only when the change occurs, electrochromic materials are used to control the amount of light and heat allowed to penetrate windows, and in the automotive industry to automatically adjust the shade of rearview mirrors to various lighting conditions. Viologens are used together with titanium dioxide (TiO2) in the manufacture of small digital displays, making them a promising alternative to liquid crystal displays, because the contrast between viologens (usually dark blue) and the bright white color of titanium provides high visibility of the display.

[0005] Electrochromic smart glass has the ability to adjust light absorption and transmission under the action of electric field, and can selectively absorb or reflect external thermal radiation and internal heat diffusion, reducing the large amount of energy that must be consumed to keep office buildings and residential buildings cool in summer and warm in winter. At the same time, it improves the degree of natural light and prevents peeping. Electrochromic materials have bistable properties. Electrochromic display devices made of electrochromic materials not only do not require backlights, but also do not consume electricity as long as the display content does not change after displaying static images, thus achieving the purpose of energy saving.

[0006] Compared with other displays, electrochromic displays have the advantages of no blind spots and high contrast. Automatic anti-glare rearview mirrors made of electrochromic materials can adjust the intensity of reflected light according to the intensity of external light through an electronic sensing system to achieve anti-glare effect and make driving safer. Smart glass made of electrochromic materials can adjust the light intensity inside cars and airplanes at a lower voltage (2-5V) and lower power, making the journey more comfortable. At present, electrochromic dimming glass has been used in some high-end cars and airplanes.

[0007] The electrochromic device includes a first substrate layer and a second substrate layer facing each other, an electrochromic layer sandwiched between the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer, and an electrode sandwiched between the first substrate layer or the second substrate layer and the electrochromic layer, and an encapsulation layer in which the electrochromic device layer is sandwiched. When it comes to the encapsulation layer, the commonly used encapsulation materials are usually POE film, EVA film, or a mixture of the above POE film and EVA film; wherein, the POE film has low water vapor permeability and high volume resistivity, ensuring the safety and aging resistance of the electrochromic layer in high temperature and high humidity environments, but the bonding strength of the POE film is not high, which affects the connection strength between the encapsulation material and the glass. Due to the essential influence of the POE film, the industry currently uses a mixture of POE film and EVA film to form complementary performance.

[0008] At present, when using electrochromic devices, because the color-changing materials in the electrochromic layer mainly produce different light reactions under the influence of external forces (electrical energy), the transmission of electric energy must be fast and stable; another point is that although the electrochromic device is covered by the encapsulation layer, external environmental factors such as water vapor are unlikely to affect the internal structure. However, looking at the structure of the electrochromic device again, it can be seen that: in the electrochromic device, the electrode is sandwiched between the first substrate layer or the second substrate layer and the electrochromic layer, and the electrode, as the name suggests, will extend outward from the electrochromic device; and once it extends outward, it means that external water vapor or other pollution sources are likely to enter from this place and affect the efficacy of the electrochromic device.

[0009] Therefore, it can be understood that there are still many problems in the structure of electrochromic devices. Utility Model Content

[0010] In order to improve the function of the electrochromic device, the present application mainly strengthens the overall sealing of the existing electrochromic device and adds a metal layer in its structure that can make the conduction more uniform.

[0011] The present application provides an electrochromic device, and the technical means adopted include:

[0012] The invention comprises at least one first substrate layer, a second substrate layer opposite to the first substrate layer, an electrochromic layer sandwiched between the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer, and a pair of electrodes sandwiched between the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer and electrically connected to the first substrate layer or the second substrate layer, characterized in that: a conductive metal layer electrically connected to the electrodes is provided on one side of the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer, and the conductive metal layer can ensure the uniformity of the overall reaction time of the electrochromic layer; at the same time, a protective layer is provided on one side of the conductive metal layer, and the protective layer covers the part of the conductive metal layer electrically connected to the electrode; by interposing the protective layer on one side of the conductive metal layer, the protective layer can provide protection for the conductive metal layer and the electrode.

[0013] The electrochromic device provided in the present application mentions that the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer include a plastic layer and a transparent conductive layer respectively.

[0014] The electrochromic device provided in the present application mentions that the conductive metal layer extends toward opposite sides of the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer, respectively.

[0015] The electrochromic device provided in the present application mentions that the conductive metal layer extends symmetrically when extending toward the opposite sides and the opposite sides of the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer.

[0016] The electrochromic device provided in the present application mentions that the conductive metal layer extends asymmetrically when extending toward the opposite sides and the opposite sides of the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer.

[0017] The electrochromic device provided in the present application mentions that the protective layer is larger in length and width than the corresponding conductive metal layer.

[0018] The electrochromic device provided in this application mentions that the protective layer covers the conductive metal layer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional exploded view of the electrochromic device in this application.

[0020] Figure 2 It is a cross-sectional plan view of the assembled electrochromic device in this application.

[0021] Figure 3 is a plan view of an electrochromic device embodiment in the present application.

[0022] Figure 4 is a plan view of another embodiment of the electrochromic device in the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The following is combined with Figure 1-4 This application is described in further detail.

[0024] Please see Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, it is a three-dimensional exploded view of the electrochromic device provided by the present application. It can be seen from the figure that the electrochromic device includes at least one first substrate layer 10, a second substrate layer 20 opposite to the first substrate layer, an electrochromic layer 30 sandwiched between the first substrate layer 10 and the second substrate layer 20, and a pair of first electrodes 31 and second electrodes 32 sandwiched between the first substrate layer 10 and the electrochromic layer 30 or between the second substrate layer 20 and the electrochromic layer 30, and electrically connected to the first substrate layer 10 and the second substrate layer 20 respectively. It should be noted that the first electrode 31 is sandwiched between

[0025] The first substrate layer 10 is between the electrochromic layer 30 and extends outward from the first substrate layer 10, and the second electrode 32 is sandwiched between the second substrate layer 20 and the electrochromic layer 30 and extends outward from the second substrate layer 20, so there is no electrical connection between the first electrode 31 and the second electrode 32. Furthermore, the first substrate layer 10 includes a first substrate 11 and a transparent first conductive layer 12 fixed to the first substrate 11. The second substrate layer 20 includes a second substrate 21 and a transparent second conductive layer 22 fixed to the second substrate 21; wherein, whether the first conductive layer 12 or the second conductive layer 22 is preferably indium tin oxide (ITO). Between the first substrate layer 10 and the second substrate layer 20, the electric field formed between the first electrode 31, the second electrode 32, the first conductive layer 12 and the second conductive layer 22 is used to make the electrochromic layer 30 react. wherein, the first substrate 11 and the second substrate 21 are both plastic, preferably PET.

[0026] In order to achieve uniform conductivity of the electrochromic layer 30 and to make the overall reaction of the electrochromic layer 30 present integrity, a long strip of conductive metal layers, preferably silver or copper, are provided between the first substrate layer 10 or the second substrate layer 20 and the electrochromic layer 30: a first conductive metal layer 311 and a second conductive metal layer 321. The first conductive metal layer 311 is disposed on one side of the first conductive layer 12 and is closely attached to the first conductive layer 12, while the second conductive metal layer 321 is disposed on one side of the second conductive layer 21 and is closely attached to the first conductive layer 21; at the same time, the first electrode 31 is closely attached to the first conductive metal layer 311, and the second electrode 32 is closely attached to the second conductive metal layer 321.

[0027] In order to protect the first conductive metal layer 311 and the second conductive metal layer 321, the present application particularly provides a first protective layer 312 on the side of the first electrode 31 and the first conductive metal layer 311 away from the first conductive layer 12, and provides a second protective layer 322 on the side of the second electrode 32 and the second conductive metal layer 321 away from the second conductive layer 22. It is worth noting that in order to provide sufficient protection for the first conductive metal layer 311 or the second conductive metal layer 321, the width and length of the first protective layer 312 or the second protective layer 322 are greater than or equal to the width and length of the first electrode 31 or the second electrode 32. The first protective layer 312 and the second protective layer 322 are collectively referred to as protective layers, and their function is to provide protection for the conductive metal layers (311, 321). In addition, the first conductive metal layer 311 and the first electrode 31 are still some distance away from the electrochromic layer 30, so before adding the first protective layer 312, an insulating protective layer can be first filled between the first electrode 31 and the electrochromic layer 30, or the first protective layer 312 can be directly filled in the aforementioned space. The insulating protective layer can use the same insulating material as the first protective layer 312, or a different insulating material.

[0028] Please see Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, among them, Figure 3 (with Figure 1) it can be seen that the first electrode 31 is located between the first substrate layer 10 and the electrochromic layer 30 (not shown), and the second electrode 32 is located between the second substrate layer 20 (removed) and the electrochromic layer 30 (not shown). Therefore, the first protective layer 312 is represented by a dotted line, and the second protective layer 322 is represented by a solid line. Furthermore, the first protective layer 312 and the second protective layer 322 are larger in length and width than the first conductive metal layer 311 and the second conductive metal layer 321. In addition, the first conductive metal layer 311 and the second conductive metal layer 321 together with the first protective layer 312 and the second protective layer 322 extend toward the opposite sides of the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer respectively; the extension can be represented by Figure 3 The symmetric extension shown in Figure 4 The asymmetric extension shown. Figure 3 , Figure 4 The extension patterns shown can be summarized as follows: the conductive metal layer extends symmetrically when extending toward the opposite sides and opposite sides of the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer, or the conductive metal layer extends asymmetrically when extending toward the opposite sides and opposite sides of the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer.

[0029] The above are all preferred embodiments of the present application, and the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Therefore, any equivalent changes made according to the structure, shape, and principle of the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An electrochromic device, comprising at least one first substrate layer, a second substrate layer opposite to the first substrate layer, an electrochromic layer sandwiched between the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer, and a pair of electrodes sandwiched between the first substrate layer or the second substrate layer and electrically connected to the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer, characterized in that: A conductive metal layer electrically connected to the electrodes is disposed on one side of the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer, and a protective layer is disposed on one side of the conductive metal layer, and the protective layer covers the conductive metal layer portion electrically connected to the electrodes.

2. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first substrate layer and the second substrate layer include a plastic layer and a transparent conductive layer respectively.

3. The electrochromic device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The conductive metal layer extends toward opposite sides of the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer, respectively.

4. The electrochromic device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The conductive metal layer extends symmetrically when extending toward the opposite sides and the opposite sides of the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer.

5. The electrochromic device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The conductive metal layer extends asymmetrically when extending toward the opposite sides and the opposite sides of the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer.

6. The electrochromic device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The protective layer is larger in length and width than the corresponding conductive metal layer.

7. The electrochromic device according to claim 3, 4 or 5, characterized in that: The protection layer covers the conductive metal layer.

Images