Electrophoretic display and method of preparing electrophoretic particles
View Patent ↗Disclosed are electrophoretic particles, a method of preparing the same, and an electrophoretic display using the same. The electrophoretic particle includes a coating layer, which includes a co-polymer of styrene and heterocyclic compound, and a pigment surrounded by the coating layer. The method includes polymerizing styrene on a surface of the electrophoretic particle and polymerizing styrene and a heterocyclic compound. The electrophoretic display includes the electrophoretic particles.
1. A method of preparing electrophoretic particles, the method comprising:
providing a dispersion solution comprising an alcohol group;
dispersing a pigment and a styrene monomer in the dispersion solution;
polymerizing the styrene monomer on a surface of the pigment; and
adding a heterocyclic compound monomer to the dispersion solution while polymerizing the styrene monomer and the heterocyclic compound monomer on the surface of the pigment.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the heterocyclic compound monomer comprises a nitrogen-containing compound.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the heterocyclic compound monomer is at least one of imidazole, pyrrolidone, imide, piperidine, pyridine, pyrrole, puran, thiophene, pyrazole, and pyrazine.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the imidazole is 1-vinyl imidazole.
5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the electrophoretic particles are positively charged by the heterocyclic compound.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the styrene monomer and the heterocyclic compound monomer are provided together with a polymerization initiator.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the polymerization initiator comprises a radical initiator and initiates a polymerization reaction at or below a boiling point of the dispersion solution.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the polymerization initiator comprises azobisisobutylonitrile (AIBN) and has a weight ratio in a range of 0.1 weight % to 0.5 weight % based on the dispersion solution.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising dispersing a stabilizer in the dispersion solution, before dispersing the styrene monomer.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the stabilizer comprises a succinimide-based material.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the stabilizer comprises polyvinylpyrrolidone, and has a weight ratio in a range of 1 weight % to 10 weight % based on the dispersion solution.
12. An electrophoretic display, comprising:
substrates facing each other;
an electrode arranged on each substrate;
a micro-capsule provided between the substrates; and
a plurality of electrophoretic particles contained in the micro-capsule,
wherein each electrophoretic particle comprises a coating layer comprising a polymerized heterocyclic compound monomer, and a pigment coated with the coating layer.
13. The electrophoretic display of claim 12 , wherein the coating layer comprises a co-polymer of styrene and heterocyclic compound.
14. The electrophoretic display of claim 13 , wherein the heterocyclic compound comprises a nitrogen-containing compound.
15. The electrophoretic display of claim 14 , wherein the heterocyclic compound comprises at least one selected of imidazole, pyrrolidone, imide, piperidine, pyridine, pyrrole, puran, thiophene, pyrazole, and pyrazine.
16. The electrophoretic display of claim 15 , wherein the imidazole is 1-vinyl imidazole.
17. The electrophoretic display of claim 16 , wherein the electrophoretic particles are positively charged by the heterocyclic compound.
18. The electrophoretic display of claim 12 , wherein the coating layer comprises a polymerized dispersion.