Electrochromic devices (ECDs) show reversible optical changes in the visible range as soon as they are exposed to an electrical charge.
They are the focus of interest in various areas of application. They can be used, for example, as "smart" windows in buildings, vehicles, airplanes as well as for information and advertisements. They are attractive candidates when it comes to use as a paper-like display, as they are made of both thin and flexible materials with low power consumption and fast response time.
ITO to be replaced
Electrochromic devices have so far had a significant limitation. Until now, it has been necessary to use the relatively expensive indium tin oxide (ITO) as transparent electrodes. Due to the use and manufacturing process of ITO, its use in the field of flexible device applications on plastic-based substrates was not originally possible.
Technical University of Denmark develops new manufacturing process
However, the Technical University of Denmark has developed a fundamentally new and simplified manufacturing process that eliminates the need for previously used production processes and represents an important step towards the production of R2R ECDs without brittle materials such as ITO.
Fundamentally new manufacturing method
Last September, a detailed report of this new manufacturing method was published in the Advanced Materials Journal under the title From the Bottom Up – Flexible Solid State Electrochromic Devices. The URL mentioned in our source is a reference to the article.
One of the authors, Frederik C. Krebs, points out that the current version of the manufacturing process developed by his team with ITO- and vacuum-free grid electrodes still requires further optimization in order to achieve the same optical transmission quality of the ITO used so far.
