Electrochromic lithium nickel group 5 mixed metal oxides
View Patent ↗Multi-layer devices comprising a layer of an electrochromic lithium nickel oxide composition on a first substrate, the lithium nickel oxide composition comprising lithium, nickel and a Group 5 metal selected from niobium, tantalum and a combination thereof.
1. A multi-layer electrochromic device comprising:
a first substrate comprising glass and a second substrate comprising glass;
an anode layer comprising a liquid mixture derived layer of a lithium nickel oxide composition on the first substrate, the lithium nickel oxide composition comprising lithium, nickel, at least 0.01 wt. % carbon, and at least one of niobium and tantalum,
a cathode layer comprising a tungsten oxide on the second substrate; and
an ion conductor layer, wherein the anode layer is on one side of and in contact with a first surface of the ion conductor layer and the cathode layer is on the other side of and in contact with a second surface of the ion conductor layer.
2. The multi-layer electrochromic device of claim 1 wherein the lithium nickel oxide composition exhibits long range ordering as measured by the presence of at least one reflection peak in the XRD pattern below 26 degrees (2θ) when measured with copper Kα radiation.
3. The multi-layer electrochromic device of claim 1 wherein the lithium nickel oxide composition comprises tantalum.
4. The multi-layer electrochromic device of claim 3 wherein (i) the atomic ratio of lithium to the combined amount of nickel and tantalum in the lithium nickel oxide composition is at least 0.4:1, respectively, and (ii) the atomic ratio of the amount of tantalum to the combined amount of nickel and tantalum in the lithium nickel oxide composition is about 0.025:1 to about 0.8:1, respectively.
5. The multi-layer electrochromic device of claim 4 wherein the atomic ratio of lithium to the combined amount of nickel and tantalum in the lithium nickel oxide composition is in the range of about 0.75:1 to about 3:1, respectively.
6. The multi-layer electrochromic device of claim 4 wherein the atomic ratio of tantalum to the combined amount of nickel and tantalum in the lithium nickel oxide composition is in the range of about 0.1:1 and about 0.6:1, respectively.
7. The multi-layer electrochromic device of claim 1 wherein the lithium nickel oxide composition comprises niobium.
8. The multi-layer electrochromic device of claim 1 wherein the atomic ratio of lithium to the combined amount of nickel and niobium in the lithium nickel oxide composition is at least 0.4:1, respectively, and (ii) the atomic ratio of the amount of niobium to the combined amount of nickel and niobium in the lithium nickel oxide composition is about 0.025:1 to about 0.8:1, respectively.
9. The multi-layer electrochromic device of claim 8 wherein the atomic ratio of lithium to the combined amount of nickel and niobium in the lithium nickel oxide composition is in the range of about 0.75:1 to about 3:1, respectively.
10. The multi-layer electrochromic device of claim 8 wherein the atomic ratio of niobium to the combined amount of nickel and niobium in the lithium nickel oxide composition is in the range of about 0.1:1 and about 0.6:1, respectively.
11. The multi-layer electrochromic device of claim 1 wherein (i) the atomic ratio of lithium to the combined amount of nickel, tantalum and niobium in the lithium nickel oxide composition is at least 0.4:1, respectively, and (ii) the atomic ratio of the combined amount of tantalum and niobium to the combined amount of nickel, tantalum, and niobium in the lithium nickel oxide composition is about 0.025:1 to about 0.8:1, respectively.
12. The multi-layer electrochromic device of claim 11 wherein the atomic ratio of lithium to the combined amount of nickel, tantalum and niobium in the lithium nickel oxide composition is in the range of about 0.75:1 to about 3:1, respectively.
13. The multi-layer electrochromic device of claim 11 wherein the atomic ratio of the combined amount of tantalum and niobium to the combined amount of nickel, tantalum and niobium in the lithium nickel oxide composition is in the range of about 0.1:1 and about 0.6:1, respectively.
14. The multi-layer electrochromic device of claim 1 wherein (i) the lithium nickel oxide composition comprises at least one bleached state stabilizing element selected from the group consisting of Y, Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Mo, W, B, Al, Ga, In, Si, Ge, Sn, P, and Sb, (ii) the atomic ratio of lithium to the combined amount of nickel, tantalum, niobium and the bleached state stabilizing element(s) in the lithium nickel oxide composition is at least 0.4:1, respectively, and (iii) the atomic ratio of the combined amount of tantalum, niobium, and the bleached state stabilizing element(s) to the combined amount of nickel, tantalum, niobium, and the bleached state stabilizing elements in the lithium nickel oxide composition is about 0.025:1 to about 0.8:1, respectively.
15. The multi-layer electrochromic device of claim 14 wherein the atomic ratio of lithium to the combined amount of nickel, tantalum, niobium, and the bleached state stabilizing element(s) in the lithium nickel oxide composition is in the range of about 0.75:1 to about 3:1, respectively.
16. The multi-layer electrochromic device of claim 14 wherein the atomic ratio of the combined amount of tantalum, niobium, and the bleached state stabilizing elements to the combined amount of nickel, tantalum, niobium, and the bleached state stabilizing element(s) in the lithium nickel oxide composition is in the range of about 0.1:1 and about 0.6:1, respectively.
17. The multi-layer electrochromic device of claim 1 wherein the lithium nickel oxide composition layer has an average thickness between 25 nm and 2,000 nm.
18. The multi-layer electrochromic device of claim 1 wherein the lithium nickel oxide composition exhibiting long range ordering by X-ray diffraction analysis and wherein the lithium nickel oxide composition is characterized by a largest d-spacing of at least 2.5 Å.
19. The multi-layer electrochromic device of claim 1 wherein the multi-layer device further comprises a first transparent conductive oxide layer having a spatially varying sheet resistance and the first transparent conductive oxide layer is between the lithium nickel oxide composition layer and the first substrate and a second transparent conductive oxide layer having a spatially varying sheet resistance and the second transparent conductive oxide is between the cathode and the second substrate.
20. The multi-layer electrochromic device of claim 1 wherein the first substrate and the second substrate are at least 0.5 meters by 0.5 meters.