IP Library Granted Patent US 12704757
Granted Patent B2
US 12704757 · App. 17/798,516 · Granted Aug 11, 2026

Electrochromic device and electrochromic method therefor

Inventors: Qiao Cheng (Shenzhen, CN); Jiazhi He (Shenzhen, CN); Chaoyue Cao (Shenzhen, CN)
G02F1/1514G02F1/15165G02F1/163
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12704757
App. No.
17/798,516
Granted
Aug 11, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An electrochromic device and an electrochromic method therefor are disclosed. The electrochromic device comprises a first substrate, a first transparent conductive layer, a first electrochromic layer, an electrolyte layer, a second electrochromic layer, a second transparent conductive layer, and a second substrate which are sequentially stacked. Both the first electrochromic layer and the second electrochromic layer are made of a cathode electrochromic material or made of an anodic electrochromic material. The electrochromic method for the electrochromic device comprises: circularly applying a voltage having a direction opposite to and same as that of a first voltage to a pretreated electrochromic device. Because a structure in which two layers of electrochromic layers are made of the anodic electrochromic material or the cathode electrochromic material is used, and a specific electrochromic method is combined, the switching between different colors can be performed, and a selection range of the electrochromic materials can be expanded.

Claims (20)

1 . An electrochromic device, comprising:

a first substrate, a first transparent conductive layer, a first electrochromic layer, an electrolyte layer, a second electrochromic layer, a second transparent conductive layer and a second substrate stacked in sequence, wherein;

a material of the first electrochromic layer is poly-2-[(2-ethylhexyloxy)methyl]3,4-thienol,4-dioxane; and

a material of the second electrochromic layer is poly(3-hexylthiophene).

2 . The electrochromic device according to claim 1 , wherein the first transparent conductive layer and the second transparent conductive layer are each composed of at least one of indium tin oxide, aluminum zinc oxide, fluorine doped tin oxide, silver nanowires, graphene, carbon nanotubes, a metal mesh and silver nanoparticles.

3 . The electrochromic device according to claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the first transparent conductive layer and a thickness of the second transparent conductive layer are each independently 1-1000 nm.

4 . The electrochromic device according to claim 1 , wherein a maximum charge transfer number per unit area of the first electrochromic layer is 0-35 C/cm 2 excluding 0, and a maximum charge transfer number per unit area of the second electrochromic layer is 0-35 C/cm 2 excluding 0.

5 . The electrochromic device according to claim 1 , wherein a ratio of a maximum charge transfer number per unit area of the first electrochromic layer to a maximum charge transfer number per unit area of the second electrochromic layer is 1:50-50:1.

6 . The electrochromic device according to claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte layer is a gel electrolyte layer, a liquid electrolyte layer or a solid electrolyte layer.

7 . The electrochromic device according to claim 6 , wherein a thickness of the electrolyte layer is 0.1-200 μm.

8 . The electrochromic device according to claim 1 , wherein a material of the first substrate and a material of the second substrate are each independently selected from a glass or a flexible material.

9 . The electrochromic device according to claim 8 , wherein the material of the first substrate and the material of the second substrate are each independently selected from the flexible material; and wherein the flexible material is PET, a cycloolefin copolymer or cellulose triacetate.

10 . The electrochromic device according to claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the electrolyte layer is 0.1-200 μm.

11 . The electrochromic device according to claim 1 , wherein a ratio of a maximum charge transfer number per unit area of the first electrochromic layer to a maximum charge transfer number per unit area of the second electrochromic layer is 1:10-10:1.

12 . The electrochromic device according to claim 1 , wherein the electrolyte layer is a solid polymer electrolyte layer.

13 . An electrochromic method for the electrochromic device according to claim 1 , comprising the following steps:

(1) applying a second voltage of a second direction to the electrochromic device after pretreatment, wherein the second direction is opposite to a first direction, causing that the first electrochromic layer changes from a third color to a first color, and the second electrochromic layer changes from a second color to a fourth color; the pretreatment comprises: applying a first voltage of the first direction to the electrochromic device, causing that the first electrochromic layer changes from the first color to the third color, and the second electrochromic layer keeps the second color unchanged; and

(2) applying a third voltage of the first direction to the electrochromic device after pretreatment, causing that the first electrochromic layer changes from the first color to the third color, and the second electrochromic layer changes from the fourth color to the second color.

14 . The electrochromic method according to claim 13 , wherein an absolute value of the first voltage is more than or equal to V1, wherein V1 is a threshold voltage for subjecting the second electrochromic layer to an irreversible electrochemical reaction.

15 . The electrochromic method according to claim 14 , wherein an absolute value of the third voltage is less than the absolute value of the first voltage.