• International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing-Green Technology
• /
• v.5 no.5
• /
• pp.643-650
• /
• 2018

A self-powered electrochromic device was fabricated on an indium tin oxide-polyethylene naphthalate flexible substrate using a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) as a self-harvesting source; the electrochromic device was naturally bleached and operated under outdoor light conditions. The color of the organic electrochromic polymer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate, was shifted from pale blue to deep blue with an antimony tin oxide film as a charge-balanced material. Electrochromic performance was enhanced by secondary doping using dimethyl sulfoxide. As a result, the device showed stable switching behavior with a high transmittance change difference of 40% at its specific wavelength of 630 nm for 6 hrs. To improve the efficiency of the solar cell, 1.0 wt.% of Ag NWs in the photoanode was applied to the $TiO_2$ photoanode. It resulted in an efficiency of 3.3%, leading to an operating voltage of 0.7 V under xenon lamp conditions. As a result, we built a standalone self-harvesting electrochromic system with the performance of transmittance switching of 29% at 630 nm, by connecting with two solar cells in a device. Thus, a self-harvesting and flexible device was fabricated to operate automatically under the irradiated/dark conditions.

• Journal of Electrochemical Science and Technology
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.146-158
• /
• 2021

This paper reports the preparation of an ink-jet printed flexible electrochromic device based on a water-soluble viologen-functionalized dendrimer. Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers were modified with different concentrations of 1-1 bis(propylamine)-4,4'-bipyridylium dibromides to obtain solution-processable electrochromic materials (K1/2 and K1). FTIR, NMR, and elemental analyses are used to characterize synthesized viologens. Moreover, their electrochemical properties were investigated using cyclic voltammetry in an electrolyte solution consisting of 0.1 M HCl to find the optimum viologens. The low-cost ink-jet printer was used to print the prepared water-soluble electrochromic inks onto the ITO coated PET substrate to form desired transparent patterns. The electrolyte was applied on the printed electrochromic ink to make a sandwich with another ITO coated PET to prepare the electrochromic devices (ECD). By applying an electrical potential (0 to -2 V), the transparent ECD's color changed from colorless to blue. The color changes for the optimum ECD (K1), which had more viologen units on the dendrimer, was accompanied by an optical contrast of 47% and 311.5 ㎠C-1 coloration efficiency at 600 nm.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
• /
• v.36 no.1
• /
• pp.1-9
• /
• 2023

According to the recent global warming, it is necessary to use energy efficiently together with eco-friendly energy. The development of alternative technologies is requisite for managing the current energy and climate crises. In this regard, "smart windows," which can control solar radiation, can be used to mitigate energy demands. Electrochromic devices (ECDs) effectively control the amount of solar energy reaching commercial and other living areas and maintain climate conditions via color modulation in response to small external stimuli, such as temperature and light irradiation. However, the performance and the stability of ECDs depend on the state of the electrolyte and sealing of the device. To resolve the aforementioned issues, an ECD was manufactured by using a poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)-based gel polymer electrolyte (GPE), and a laminating method was used to adequately seal the ECD. The concentrations of PMMA, acetonitrile (ACN), and ferrocene (Fc) were controlled to optimize the composition of the GPE to achieve an enhanced electrochromic performance. The fabricated GPE-based ECD afforded high optical contrast (~81.92%), with high electrochromic stability up to 10,000 cycles. Moreover, the lamination method employing the GPE could be used to fabricate large-area ECDs.

• Membrane Journal
• /
• v.31 no.5
• /
• pp.333-342
• /
• 2021

A flexible electrochromic device (ECD) is a promising technology that is expected to be applied in various fields such as smart windows. Polymer electrolyte is an important component that determines the bleaching-coloration performance and physical stability of flexible ECDs. In this study, a pore-filled polymer electrolyte membrane (PFPEM) with excellent dimensional stability was developed to effectively fabricate flexible ECDs and improve durability. Polyvinyl acetate, which has excellent adhesion, and polyethylene glycol, which can improve ionic conductivity, were filled in the pores of a porous substrate made of polyethylene, which is inexpensive and has excellent physical and chemical stability. The optimal lithium salt (LiTFSI) content of the prepared PFPEM was determined at about 27 wt%, and it was confirmed to possess excellent dimensional stability, adhesive strength, and ion conductivity close to that of conventional polymer electrolytes. Although the visible light transmittance was lowered by the use of the porous substrate, it was expected to act as an advantage in the colored state.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2014.02a
• /
• pp.232.1-232.1
• /
• 2014

The green displays are the human friendly displays, the nature friendly displays, and the economical displays. Electrochromic displays are low cost and environmental devices because they do have more choice of colours and use much less power. The elements of the electrochromic devices consist of at least two conductors, an electrochromic material and an electrolyte. The optical properties were obtained using the optical contrast between the transparency of the substrate and the coloured state of the electrochromic materials. These devices can be fully flexible and printable. Due to the characteristics of the high coloration efficiency and memory effects, the electrochromic devices have been used in various applications such as information displays, smart windows, light shutters and electronic papers. Among these technical fields switchable mirrors have been received much attention in the applicative point of view of various electronic devices production. We have developed a novel silver (Ag) deposition-based electrochromic device for the reversible electrodeposition (RED) system. The electrochromic device can switch between transparent states and mirror states in response to a change in the applied voltage. The dynamic range of transmittance percent (%) for the fabricated device is about 90% at 550 nm wavelength. Also, we successfully fabricated the large area RED display system using the parted electrochromic cells of the honey comb structure.

• Membrane Journal
• /
• v.30 no.5
• /
• pp.333-341
• /
• 2020

In this study, the optimum design conditions of a polymer electrolyte membrane for application to a flexible electrochromic device (ECD) were tried to be derived. Polyvinyl butyral (PVB) with excellent adhesive property and transparency was selected as the base polymer for the preparation of the electrolyte membrane, and adipate-based polymer was used as the plasticizer. As a result, it was confirmed that the most influential factors on the ECD performance were the ionic conductivity and permeability of the electrolyte membrane. In addition, it was found that the factor has a close relationship with the dissociation property of the lithium salt. Overall, the optimal ECD performance was achieved when LiTFSI salt having a large anion size among various lithium salts was dissolved in a content of about 25 wt.%.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 2003.11a
• /
• pp.129-129
• /
• 2003

전기변색(electrochromism)은 전기화학적 산화, 환원 과정을 통해 가역적인 광학특성의 변화를 갖는 현상을 말하며, 이를 이용한 전기변색소자(electrochromic device)는 전력 소모가 적고 변색효율이 크다는 장점으로 인해 smart window, display, mirror 등에 응용될 수 있다. 전기변색소자는 구조상 투명 기판, 투명 전도체, 환원 착색 물질 (cathodic coloration material), 산화 착색 물질(anodic coloration material), 그리고 투명 이온 전도체로 구성된다. 일반적으로 투명 기판으로는 열적 안정성이 좋은 유리기판을 사용하여 window에 응용할 수 있는 장점이 있는 반면 다양한 형태를 갖는 소자를 제작하기에는 그 한계가 있다.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.132-138
• /
• 2021

Electrochromic devices (ECDs) have been drawing great attention due to their high color contrast, low power consumption, and memory effect, and can be used in smart windows, automatic dimming mirrors, and information display devices. As with other electronic devices such as LEDs (light emitting diodes), solar cells, and transistors, the mechanical flexibility of ECDs is one of the most important issue for their potential applications. In this paper, we report on flexible ECDs (f-ECDs) fabricated using an all-in-one EC gel, which is a mixture of electrolyte and EC material. The f-ECDs are compared with rigid ECDs (r-ECDs) on ITO glass substrate in terms of color contrast, coloration efficiency, and switching speed. It is confirmed that the f-ECDs embedding all-in-one gel show strong blue absorption and have competitive EC performance. Repetitive bending tests show a degradation of electrochromic performance, which must be improved using an optimized device fabrication process.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.125-133
• /
• 2022

Along with the increasing need for point-of-care diagnostics, development of portable, user-friendly, as well as sensitive sensors have gained intensive attention. Among various strategies, electrochromic sensors, which are electrochemically operated colorimetric sensors, have been actively studied. With their ability to report the presence and concentration of analytes by optical signals, electrochromic sensors utilize the advantages of both electrochemical and colorimetric sensors, enabling the simplification of device composition as well as convenient interpretation of results. Up to date, electrochromic sensors have been applied for a wide range of analytes, and further developments such as the introduction of flexible platforms or self-powered systems have been reported, providing a path towards the development of wearable sensor devices. In this review, various types of electrochromic sensors, according to the main strategy in which the electrochemical signals are converted to colorimetric signals, are introduced.

• 한국정보디스플레이학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2004.08a
• /
• pp.37-40
• /
• 2004

Electrochromic displays offer the possibility of providing high brightness in reflective mode due to the fact that no polarization of the incident or reflected light is required. The use of appropriately roughened reflective layers can enable the diffuse or Lambertian reflection of light. truly imitating the optical nature of paper as a reading medium. Furthermore, the use of an electrochromic system, essentially an electrochemical device, allows for the integration of charge storage layers, endowing such devices with an on-state memory and associated low power consumption. In this paper we describe the $NanoChromics^{TM}$ system and overview the several strategies employed towards the migration of this technology to flexible display formats.