Transparent conductive system
View Patent ↗A substantially transparent conductive layer is provided on a support, the layer comprising a conductive ionic liquid and a conductive metal network distributed therein.
1. A substantially transparent conductive layer provided on a support, the layer comprising a conductive ionic liquid and a conductive metal mesh network, the conductive ionic liquid being coated on the surface of the conductive metal mesh network.
2. A conductive layer as claimed in claim 1 wherein the refractive index of the liquid matches the refractive index of the support.
3. A conductive layer as claimed in claim 1 wherein the support is a polyethylene terephthalate support.
4. A conductive layer as claimed in claim 1 wherein the ionic liquid is retained in place by a gelating agent.
5. A conductive layer as claimed in claim 4 wherein the gelating agent comprising particles having a dimension of less than 100 nm.
6. A conductive layer as claimed in claim 5 wherein the particles have a dimension of less than 50 nm.
7. A conductive layer as claimed in claim 6 wherein the particles have a dimension of less than 20 nm.
8. A device incorporating a substantially transparent conductive layer as claimed in claim 1 .
9. An AC driven device incorporating a substantially transparent conductive layer as claimed in claim 1 .
10. A device according to claim 8 , which device is selected from a solid state lighting device, an AC display device or an electromagnetic shielding device.
11. A device according to claim 8 , which device is selected from any one of a cholesteric LCD device, ACEL display devices, an AC-driven switchable AC window device, a touch screen device, or an electrowetting device.
12. A liquid crystal device switchable between reflective and transparent states, said device comprising a first transparent electrically conductive coating having coated thereon a homogenised coating of cholesteric liquid crystal in a polymeric binder and laminated thereon a second transparent electrically conductive coating, at least one of said first and second transparent electrically conductive coatings comprises a substantially transparent conductive layer as defined in claim 1 .
13. A conductive layer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the conductive metal mesh network is formed of metal conductive tracks.
14. A conductive layer as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the conductive metal mesh network formed on the support has an optical transmission of at least 80%.