CN112415827A - Electrochromic element and preparation method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses an electrochromic element and a preparation method thereof, wherein the electrochromic element comprises a first substrate layer, an electrochromic layer and a second substrate layer which are arranged in a stacked mode, two ends of the first substrate layer exceed the electrochromic layer, the electrochromic element also comprises a first sealing element, the first sealing element comprises a first sealing part and a second sealing part, the first sealing part is circumferentially arranged in the peripheral area of the electrochromic layer, one end of the first sealing part is connected with the first substrate layer, the other end of the first sealing part is connected with the second sealing part, and the second sealing part is positioned on one side, facing the electrochromic layer, of the second substrate layer. This electrochromic element has avoided outside steam and oxygen to get into the electrochromic layer and then influence the phenomenon emergence of electrochromic layer stability from the side on electrochromic layer better, has promoted the guard action to electrochromic element, has promoted the joint strength between first sealing member and other synusias, has avoided the phenomenon that first sealing member fracture even drops to take place betterly.

Description

Electrochromic element and preparation method thereof

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of photoelectric elements, in particular to an electrochromic element and a preparation method thereof.

Background

Electrochromism refers to a phenomenon in which optical properties (reflectivity, transmittance, absorption, and the like) of a material undergo a stable and reversible color change under the action of an applied electric field, and is visually represented as a reversible change in color and transparency. In order to ensure that the electrochromic element is isolated from water and oxygen, the core layer sheet of the electrochromic element is usually sealed by a sealant, but the current sealing mode is easy to crack and fall off after being used for a long time.

Disclosure of Invention

The first purpose of the invention is to provide an electrochromic element which has good sealing performance, small cracking failure probability of a sealing layer and high use reliability.

The second purpose of the invention is to provide a preparation method of the electrochromic element, which has a simple process, can improve the connection stability of the sealing layer and other layers, reduce the cracking failure probability of the sealing layer, and improve the use reliability of the electrochromic element.

In order to achieve the technical effects, the technical scheme of the invention is as follows:

the invention discloses an electrochromic element, which comprises a first substrate layer, an electrochromic layer and a second substrate layer which are arranged in a stacked mode, wherein two ends of the first substrate layer exceed the electrochromic layer; wherein: the electrochromic element further comprises a first sealing piece, the first sealing piece comprises a first sealing portion and a second sealing portion, one end of the first sealing portion is connected with the first substrate layer, the first sealing portion is circumferentially arranged in the peripheral area of the electrochromic layer, the other end of the first sealing portion is connected with the second sealing portion, and the second sealing portion is located on one side, facing the second substrate layer, of the electrochromic layer.

In some embodiments, the second seal is located outboard of the second substrate layer; or; at least a portion of the second seal is embedded within the second substrate layer; wherein: the surface of the second sealing part facing away from the electrochromic layer is positioned outside the surface of the second substrate layer facing away from the electrochromic layer; or; the surface of the second seal facing away from the electrochromic layer is flush with the surface of the second substrate layer facing away from the electrochromic layer.

In some embodiments, the electrochromic element further comprises a second sealing member embedded within the first substrate layer, one end of the second sealing member abutting on the first sealing portion; or; one end of the second sealing element is embedded in the first sealing part.

In some embodiments, the first substrate layer is provided with at least one sealing hole distributed at intervals along the circumferential direction of the first substrate layer, and each sealing hole is filled with one second sealing element; or: in some optional embodiments, the first substrate layer is provided with a sealing groove extending along a circumferential direction thereof, two ends of the sealing groove are spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the first substrate layer, and the second sealing element is filled in the sealing groove.

In some embodiments, the electrochromic element further comprises a first additional layer and a first glue layer, the first additional layer being adhered to the outside of the first substrate layer by the first glue layer.

In some embodiments, the electrochromic element further comprises a second additional layer and a second glue layer, the second additional layer being bonded to the outside of the second substrate layer by the second glue layer.

In some embodiments, the electrochromic element further comprises a removable protective layer disposed outside the second additional layer; first sealing inlays to be established the second additional layer reaches in the second glue layer, the second sealing orientation the surface butt of electrochromic layer is in the second additional layer the second glue layer or on the surface of second stratum basale or inside, just the second sealing deviates from the surface of electrochromic layer with the surface of protective layer flushes the setting.

The invention also discloses a preparation method of the electrochromic element, which comprises the following steps:

s1: forming a multi-layer stack structure in which the first base layer, the electrochromic layer, and the second base layer are sequentially stacked;

s2: placing the multilayer stack structure with the second substrate layer facing upwards, and etching from the surface or above of the second substrate layer to the first substrate layer to form a first groove;

s3: pouring a first sealant into the first groove;

s4: curing the first sealant to form the first seal;

s5: cutting off an excess portion of the multi-layer stacked structure outside the first sealing member so that both ends of the first sealing member and the first base layer are flush.

In some embodiments, the multilayer stack formed in step S1 further includes a second glue layer and a second additional layer disposed over the second base layer; or: the multilayer stacked structure further comprises a second adhesive layer arranged above the second base layer, a second additional layer and a removable protective layer attached to the second additional layer;

in some embodiments, after step S5, the method further includes:

s6: placing the multilayer stack structure with the first substrate layer facing upwards, etching from the surface or above of the first substrate layer to the surface or inside of the first seal to form a second groove;

s7: pouring a second sealant into the second groove;

s8: and curing the second sealant to form a second sealing element.

According to the electrochromic element, the first sealing pieces located at the two ends of the electrochromic layer are arranged on the first substrate layer, so that the phenomenon that external water vapor and oxygen enter the electrochromic layer from the side face of the electrochromic layer to influence the stability of the electrochromic layer is avoided well, the protection effect of the electrochromic element is improved, the first sealing pieces comprise the first sealing parts located at the two ends of the electrochromic layer and the second sealing parts located on one side, facing the second substrate layer, of the electrochromic layer, the contact area of the first sealing pieces and other layer pieces is increased, the connection strength between the first sealing pieces and other layer pieces is improved, and the phenomenon that the first sealing pieces crack or even fall off from the side face of the electrochromic layer is avoided well.

According to the preparation method of the electrochromic element, in the preparation process, the first base layer is etched from the surface or the upper part of the second base layer to form the first groove, and the first sealing element is formed in the first groove, so that the preparation process of the electrochromic element is simplified, the contact area of the first sealing element and other laminas is increased, the probability of cracking and falling of the first sealing element is reduced, and the use reliability of the electrochromic element is improved.

Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an electrochromic device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of an electrochromic device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of an electrochromic device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of an electrochromic device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural view of another direction of an electrochromic device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention

Fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of an electrochromic device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural view of another direction of an electrochromic device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention

Fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of an electrochromic element according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of an electrochromic device according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing an electrochromic element according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 11 is a flowchart of a method of manufacturing an electrochromic element according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Reference numerals:

1. a first substrate layer; 11. a first transparent substrate; 12. a first transparent conductive layer; 101. a sealing groove; 102. sealing the hole;

2. an electrochromic layer; 21. a layer of electrochromic material; 22. an electrolyte layer; 23. an ion storage layer;

3. a second substrate layer; 31. a second transparent substrate; 32. a second transparent conductive layer;

4. a first seal member; 41. a first seal portion; 42. a second seal portion;

5. a second seal member; 6. a first additional layer; 7. a first glue layer;

8. a second additional layer; 9. a second adhesive layer; 10. and a protective layer.

Detailed Description

In order to make the technical problems solved, the technical solutions adopted and the technical effects achieved by the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the present invention are further described below by way of specific embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the description of the present invention, it is to be understood that the terms "central," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," "axial," "radial," "circumferential," and the like are used in the orientations and positional relationships indicated in the drawings for convenience in describing the invention and to simplify the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the referenced device or element must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and are not to be considered limiting of the invention.

Furthermore, features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features for distinguishing between descriptive features, non-sequential, non-trivial and non-trivial. In the description of the present invention, "a plurality" means two or more unless otherwise specified.

In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" are to be construed broadly, e.g., as meaning either a fixed connection, a removable connection, or an integral connection; can be mechanically or electrically connected; they may be connected directly or indirectly through intervening media, or they may be interconnected between two elements. The specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood in specific cases to those skilled in the art.

The specific structure of the electrochromic element of the embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to fig. 1 to 9.

As shown in fig. 1 to 9, the present invention discloses an electrochromic element including a first substrate layer 1, an electrochromic layer 2, and a second substrate layer 3 which are stacked, and both ends of the first substrate layer 1 are disposed beyond the electrochromic layer 2. The electrochromic element further includes a first sealing member 4, the first sealing member 4 including a first sealing portion 41 and a second sealing portion 42, the first sealing portion 41 being circumferentially provided in an outer peripheral region of the electrochromic layer 2, one end of the first sealing portion 41 being connected to the first substrate layer 1 and the other end being connected to the second sealing portion 42, the second sealing portion 42 being located on a side of the second substrate layer 3 toward which the electrochromic layer 2 faces.

First, it should be noted that the first substrate layer 1 may include a first transparent substrate 11 and a first transparent conductive layer 12, which are stacked, and the second substrate layer 3 may include a second transparent substrate 31 and a second transparent conductive layer 32, which are stacked. The first transparent substrate 11 and the second transparent substrate 31 of the invention are optical transparent materials, and specifically can be flexible substrate materials, and the flexible substrate materials are pet (polyester film), cyclic olefin copolymer or cellulose triacetate and the like; the material of the first transparent conductive layer 12 and the second transparent conductive layer 32 may be any transparent conductive material known to those skilled in the art, and may be, for example, indium-tin oxide (ITO), Aluminum Zinc Oxide (AZO), fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO), silver nanowire, graphene, carbon nanotube, metal mesh, or silver nanoparticle. The material of the first sealing member 4 includes an adhesive having an insulating and water-oxygen isolating effect, which is conventional in the art, such as any one of a pressure-sensitive adhesive, a hot melt adhesive, a UV light-curable adhesive, a heat-curable adhesive, or a UV-heated dual-curable adhesive.

According to the electrochromic element provided by the embodiment of the invention, the first sealing parts 4 positioned at the two ends of the electrochromic layer 2 are arranged on the first substrate layer 1, so that the phenomenon that the stability of the electrochromic layer 2 is affected by the fact that external water vapor and oxygen enter the electrochromic layer 2 from the side surface of the electrochromic layer 2 is avoided better, the protection effect on the electrochromic element is improved, the first sealing parts 4 comprise the first sealing parts 41 positioned at the two ends of the electrochromic layer 2 and the second sealing parts 42 positioned at one side of the electrochromic layer 2 facing the second substrate layer 3, the contact area between the first sealing parts 4 and other layers is increased, the connection strength between the first sealing parts 4 and other layers is improved, and the phenomenon that the first sealing parts 4 crack or even fall off from the side surface of the electrochromic layer 2 is avoided better.

It should be additionally noted here that the connection among the respective layers of the electrochromic layer 2, the first substrate layer 1, and the second substrate layer 3 may be bonding, coating, or evaporation, and the specific connection manner may be selected according to actual needs, and the connection process among the respective layers is not limited herein.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 1, the second seal 42 is located on the outside of the second substrate layer 3. It can be understood that the second sealing portion 42 is located outside the substrate layer, which is equivalent to sandwiching the second substrate layer 3 and the electrochromic layer 2 between the second sealing portion 42 and the first substrate layer 1, so that the connection stability of the second substrate layer 3 and the electrochromic layer 2 can be improved to a certain extent, and thus the phenomenon that the second substrate layer 3 falls off is avoided.

Preferably, a functional layer sheet such as a water and oxygen barrier layer may be further disposed between the second sealing portion 42 and the second substrate layer 3, so that the water and oxygen barrier performance of the entire electrochromic device can be improved, and the connection stability of the functional layer sheet and the functional layer sheet of the second substrate layer 3 can also be improved, thereby preventing the functional layer sheet from falling off.

In some embodiments, at least a portion of the second seal 42 is embedded within the second substrate layer 3. First, in some embodiments, as shown in fig. 3, the second sealing portion 42 is entirely embedded in the second substrate layer 3; in some embodiments, as shown in fig. 2, a portion of the second sealing portion 42 extends beyond the second substrate layer 3, and another portion is embedded in the second substrate layer 3. In any case, compared with the technical scheme that the second sealing portion 42 is located outside the second substrate layer 3, the contact area between the second sealing portion 42 and the second substrate layer 3 is larger, the connection stability between the first sealing member 4 and the second substrate layer 32 is further improved, and the phenomenon that the first sealing member 4 cracks or even falls off from the side surface of the electrochromic layer 2 is further avoided.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 2, the surface of the second sealing portion 42 facing away from the electrochromic layer 2 is located outside the surface of the second substrate layer 3 facing away from the electrochromic layer 2. Therefore, a part of the second sealing portion 42 is embedded in the second substrate layer 3, so that the connection stability of the first sealing member 4 is improved, and the probability that the first sealing member 4 cracks or even falls off from the side surface of the electrochromic layer 2 is reduced.

Preferably, a functional sheet such as a water oxygen barrier layer, a barrier layer, or a reflective layer may be further provided on the outer side of the second substrate layer 3, and the surface of the functional sheet is flush with the surface of the second seal portion 42. Therefore, the water and oxygen barrier performance of the whole electrochromic element can be improved, the reflection effect is realized, the visual effect of the appearance is optimized, and the connection stability of the functional layer sheet and the functional layer sheet of the second basal layer 3 can be improved, so that the phenomenon that the functional layer sheet falls off is avoided.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 3, the surface of the second seal 42 facing away from the electrochromic layer 2 is flush with the surface of the second substrate layer 3 facing away from the electrochromic layer 2. Therefore, the peripheral side surface of the second substrate layer 3 is completely wrapped in the first sealing member 4, and the connection stability between the electrochromic layer 2 and the first and second substrate layers 1 and 3 can be improved while the connection stability between the second substrate layer 3 and the first sealing member 4 is improved, so that the reliability of the entire electrochromic element is improved. In addition, when other layer sheets, such as a water oxygen barrier layer, a shielding layer, a reflective layer and other functional layer sheets, need to be attached to the outer side of the second substrate layer 3, the surface of the second sealing portion 42 away from the electrochromic layer 2 is flush with the surface of the second substrate layer 3, so that the attachment of the functional layer sheets is facilitated, the adhesion between the second sealing portion 42 and the functional layer sheets is better than the adhesion between the second substrate layer 3 and the functional layer sheets, the connection stability of the functional layer sheets can be improved, and the phenomenon that the functional layer sheets fall off is avoided.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 4-7, the electrochromic element further includes a second sealing member 5, the second sealing member 5 is embedded in the first substrate layer 1, and one end of the second sealing member 5 abuts on the first sealing portion 41. Because wear to be equipped with second sealing member 5 in the first stratum basale 1, thereby the phenomenon that outside steam and oxygen can be avoided better to pass the side of first stratum basale 1 influences the stability of electrochromic layer 2 takes place on the one hand, on the other hand, the one end of second sealing member 5 links to each other with first sealing member 4 or inserts inside first sealing member 4, form an interconnect or the structure of pegging graft with first sealing member 4, be equivalent to like this and further promoted the connection stability of first sealing member 4, thereby further reduced the probability that first sealing member 4 drops, the product stability of electrochromic component has been improved.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 6, one end of second seal member 5 is inserted into first seal member 4, second seal member 5 is inserted into first seal member 4 for a length H1, first seal member 4 has a length H2, 0 ≦ H1 ≦ H2. Preferably, H1 satisfies the relationship: 1/5H 1/H2 4/5, the ratio of H1/H2 can be 1/5, 2/5, 1/2, 3/5, 4/5, etc. It can be understood that the shorter the length of the second sealing member 5 inserted into the first sealing member 4 is, the smaller the interaction between the first sealing member 4 and the second sealing member 5 is, the more disadvantageous the stability of the connection between the first sealing member 4 and the second sealing member 5 is, and the longer the second sealing member 5 protrudes into the first sealing member 4 is, the greater the depth of the groove formed after etching the first sealing member 4 to accommodate the second sealing member 5 is, the greater the difficulty of cleaning the residual substance in the groove is, and the more the first sealing member 4 is wasted, which is not favorable the cost control of the electrochromic element. In the present embodiment, the length of the second sealing member 5 inserted into the first sealing member 4 is preferably controlled to be 1/5H2-4/5H2, so that the removal amount of the first sealing member 4 is reduced while ensuring the connection stability of the first sealing member 4 and the second sealing member 5, and the preparation of the second sealing member 5 is facilitated while reducing the waste of the first sealing member 4.

Of course, in other embodiments of the present invention, the ratio of H1/H2 may be selected according to practical needs, and is not limited to the above description.

As shown in fig. 6, in some alternative embodiments, the width of the first sealing portion 41 is D1, and D1 satisfies the relation: the thickness D1 is 0.1 mm. ltoreq.50 mm, and may be, for example, 0.1mm, 0.2mm, 0.3mm, 0.4mm, 0.5mm, 1.0mm, 2mm, 5mm, 10mm, 20mm, 30mm, 40mm, or 50 mm. It can be understood that when the electrochromic layer 2 changes color, a part of the area of the outer edge of the entire electrochromic layer 2 is unchanged, and this area of the unchanged color is just the area directly opposite to the first sealing portion 41, the larger the width of the first sealing portion 41 is, the larger the area of the unchanged color is, the wider the edge shielding layer that the entire electrochromic element needs to be provided with is, that is, the larger the width of the first sealing portion 41 is, the larger the size of the unchanged color of the electrochromic element is, and the smaller the width of the first sealing portion 41 is, the poorer the strength of the first sealing portion 41 is, that is, the first sealing portion 41 is more easily damaged, and meanwhile, the smaller the width of the first sealing portion 41 is, the more easily moisture and oxygen can penetrate through the first sealing portion 41 to enter from the side of the electrochromic layer 2, thereby affecting the stability of the electrochromic layer 2. In the embodiment, the width of the first sealing part 41 is controlled to be 0.1mm-50mm, so that the strength and the sealing performance of the first sealing part 41 are ensured, the non-color-changing size of the electrochromic element is reduced, and the market competitiveness of the electrochromic element is improved. Of course, in other embodiments of the present invention, the width D1 of the first sealing portion 41 may be selected according to actual needs, and is not limited to the above description.

In some alternative embodiments, as shown in fig. 6, the width of the second seal 5, D2, D1 and D2, satisfy the relationship: 1/10D 2/D1 9/10, the ratio of D2/D1 can be 1/10, 1/5, 3/10, 2/5, 1/2, 3/5, 7/10, 4/5, 9/10, etc. It will be appreciated that the width of second seal 5 is too large or too small to facilitate formation of second seal 5, and in this embodiment, the width of second seal 5 is controlled to be between 1/10-9/10 of the width of first seal 4 to facilitate preparation of second seal 5. It should be noted that the width of the second sealing member 5 refers to the dimension of the second sealing member 5 in the width direction of the first sealing portion 41, when the cross section of the second sealing member 5 is rectangular, the width of the second sealing member 5 refers to the length of the cross section of the second sealing member 5 along the width direction of the first sealing portion 41, and when the cross section of the second sealing member 5 is circular or elliptical, the width of the second sealing member 5 refers to the diameter of the circle or the length of the major axis or the minor axis of the ellipse. Of course, in other embodiments of the present invention, the ratio of D2/D1 can be selected according to practical needs, and is not limited to the above description.

In some alternative embodiments, as shown in fig. 4, the width of second seal 42 is D3, and D1 and D3 satisfy the relationship: 1 < D3/D1 is not more than 10, D3/D1 can be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, etc. It will be appreciated that, within the above-mentioned range, the second seal portion 42 may better ensure the structural stability of the seal. Of course, in other embodiments of the present invention, the ratio of D3/D1 can be selected according to practical needs, and is not limited to the above description.

Alternatively, the material of the second sealing member 5 includes an adhesive having an insulating and water-oxygen-blocking effect, which is conventional in the art, such as any one of a pressure-sensitive adhesive, a hot-melt adhesive, a UV light-curable adhesive, a heat-curable adhesive, or a UV-heating dual-curable adhesive.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 4-5, the second substrate layer 3 is provided with a plurality of sealing holes 102 spaced along the circumference thereof, and each sealing hole 102 is filled with one second sealing element 5. From this, a plurality of second sealing member 5 can promote the water oxygen barrier ability of second sealing member 5, further promotes the connection stability of first stratum basale 1 and first additional layer 6, reduces the probability that first additional layer 6 drops, can also promote the connection stability of first sealing member 4, reduces the probability that first sealing member 4 ftractures and drops.

It should be additionally noted that the plurality of sealing holes 102 may be uniformly distributed or non-uniformly distributed, and the size and shape of the plurality of sealing holes 102 may be the same or different, and may be specifically selected according to actual needs.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 6 to 7, a sealing groove 101 extending along a circumferential direction of the second substrate layer 3 is provided on the second substrate layer 3, two ends of the sealing groove 101 are spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the second substrate layer 3, and the second seal 5 is filled in the sealing groove 101. It can be understood that, the second sealing element 5 is filled in the sealing groove 101, compared with the technical solution of filling in the sealing hole 102, the contact area between the second sealing element 5 filled in the sealing groove 101 and the first sealing element 4 and the first additional layer 6 is larger, so as to further improve the connection stability of the first substrate layer 1 and the first additional layer 6, reduce the probability of dropping the first additional layer 6, further improve the connection stability of the first sealing element 4, and reduce the probability of cracking and dropping the first sealing element 4.

Furthermore, if the sealing groove 101 is a complete ring, this may cause the first transparent conductive layer 12 on the first substrate layer 1 to be divided into two parts distributed at intervals, so that the first transparent conductive layer 12 located at the outer edge of the first substrate layer 1 and the first transparent conductive layer 12 located inside the first substrate layer 1 are completely separated and cannot be conducted with each other, and thus, a lead for conducting electricity to the electrochromic layer 2 cannot be led out from the outer edge of the first substrate layer 1. The two ends of the sealing groove 101 are arranged at intervals, which means that the first substrate layer 1 is not completely separated, and leads for supplying power to the electrochromic layer 2 are conveniently led out from the outer edge of the first substrate layer 1, which is not separated, so that the electrochromic element of the embodiment is convenient to use.

It should be additionally noted that, the sealing groove 101 may be one or a plurality of grooves arranged at intervals.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 8-9, the electrochromic element further comprises a first additional layer 6 and a first glue layer 7, the first additional layer 6 being adhered to the outer side of the first substrate layer 1 by the first glue layer 7. This ensures the connection strength between the first additional layer 6 and the first base layer 1, reduces the possibility of the first additional layer 6 coming off, and ensures the reliability of the entire electrochromic element.

Alternatively, as shown in fig. 8-9, the first additional layer 6 is adhered to the first substrate layer 1 by a first glue layer 7. It can be understood that, when actually manufacturing the electrochromic element in the present embodiment, the first sealing element 4 is formed by curing after potting, specifically, etching from the surface or above the second substrate layer 3 to the first substrate layer 1 to form a T-shaped or inverted L-shaped potting groove, then filling the sealant into the potting groove, curing the sealant to form the first sealing element 4, and then cutting off the excess part outside the first sealing element 4, so that the two ends of the first sealing element 4 and the two ends of the first substrate layer 1 are flush; a first additional layer 6 is then superimposed on the first substrate layer 1.

As shown in fig. 9, etching the second substrate layer 3 from the surface or above to the first substrate layer 1 to form a T-shaped or inverted L-shaped glue filling groove, then filling a sealant into the glue filling groove, curing the sealant to form a first sealing element 4, and then cutting off the excess part outside the first sealing element 4 so that the first sealing element 4 is flush with the two ends of the first substrate layer 1; then placing the first substrate layer 1 upwards, etching the surface or the upper part of the first substrate layer 1 to the surface or the inner part of the first sealing element 4 to form a second groove, pouring a second sealing adhesive into the second groove, and curing the second sealing adhesive to form a second sealing element 5; the first additional layer 6 is then glued to the first substrate layer 1. Before the second groove is formed by etching, the first glue layer 7 is arranged on the first substrate layer 1 in advance. Compared with the bonding capability of the first adhesive layer 7 and the first sealing element 4, the bonding capability between the first sealing element 4 and the first additional layer 6 is stronger, if the first adhesive layer 7 is arranged on the first additional layer 6, when the first additional layer 6 is superposed on the first base layer 1, the first adhesive layer 7 is in direct contact with the first sealing element 4, and therefore, the connection stability of the first additional layer 6 and the first sealing element 4 is not improved. In this embodiment, the first glue layer 7 is disposed on the first substrate layer 1, and a part of the first glue layer 7 is also removed when the glue filling groove is etched, so that when the first additional layer 6 is stacked on the first substrate layer 1, the first additional layer 6 is in direct contact with the first sealing element 4, and the connection stability between the first additional layer 6 and the first sealing element 4 is improved.

Alternatively, in the present embodiment, the first adhesive layer 7 may adopt any one of PolyVinyl Butyral (PVB), Ethylene-vinyl Acetate Copolymer (EVA), oca (Optical Clear adhesive), SCA (SCA Optical adhesive), ionic intermediate film (SGP), liquid Optical adhesive loca (liquid Optical Clear adhesive), or acrylic, or a combination of at least two of them. Of course, in other embodiments of the present invention, the first glue layer 7 can be made of other adhesive materials, and is not limited to the above description.

It should be noted that the first additional layer 6 and the first substrate layer 1 may be connected by other processes such as vapor deposition, and are not limited to bonding.

Alternatively, in some embodiments, the first additional layer 6 is a flexible or rigid layer, such as a commercially available flexible water oxygen barrier membrane, or a rigid glass layer. Therefore, the first additional layer 6 can select to use a flexible layer or a rigid layer according to the use scene of the electrochromic element, so that the application range of the electrochromic element of the embodiment is improved, and the market competitiveness of the product is improved. Optionally, the first additional layer 6 is a water oxygen barrier film. Of course, the first additional layer 6 may also be selected from other layers according to actual needs.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 8-9, the electrochromic element further comprises a second additional layer 8 and a second glue layer 9, the second additional layer 8 being adhered to the outside of the second substrate layer 3 by the second glue layer 9.

Alternatively, in this embodiment, the second adhesive layer 9 may adopt any one of PolyVinyl Butyral (PVB), Ethylene-vinyl Acetate Copolymer (EVA), oca (Optical Clear adhesive), SCA (SCA Optical adhesive), ionic intermediate film (SGP), liquid Optical adhesive loca (liquid Optical Clear adhesive), or acrylic, or a combination of at least two of them. Of course, in other embodiments of the present invention, the second adhesive layer 9 can be made of other adhesive materials, and is not limited to the above description.

Alternatively, in some embodiments, the second additional layer 8 is a flexible or rigid layer, such as a commercially available flexible water oxygen barrier membrane or a rigid glass layer. Therefore, the second additional layer 8 can select to use a flexible layer or a rigid layer according to the use scene of the electrochromic element, so that the application range of the electrochromic element of the embodiment is improved, and the market competitiveness of the product is improved. Alternatively, the second additional layer 8 may be glass. Of course, other layers can be selected for the second additional layer 8 according to actual needs.

It should be noted that the second additional layer 8 and the second substrate layer 3 may be connected by other processes such as vapor deposition, and are not limited to bonding.

In some specific embodiments, as shown in fig. 8-9, the electrochromic element further comprises a removable protective layer 10, the protective layer 10 being provided outside the second additional layer 8; the first sealing part 41 is embedded in the second additional layer 8 and the second adhesive layer 9, the surface of the second sealing part 42 facing the electrochromic layer 2 abuts on the surface of the second additional layer 8, the second adhesive layer 9 or the second substrate layer 3 or is inside the second additional layer 8, the surface of the second sealing part 42 facing away from the electrochromic layer 2 is flush with the surface of the protective layer 10. Therefore, in the delivery process, the protective layer 10 covers the second additional layer 8, so that the water and oxygen isolation performance of the whole electrochromic element is ensured, the second additional layer 8 is prevented from being scratched, and the transportation loss of the electrochromic element is reduced.

Preferably, the protective layer 10 can be summarized as a layer structure having poor adhesion and easy peeling, such as a release film. In practice, the protective layer 10 is then simply removed from the second substrate layer 3. Meanwhile, the thickness of the protective layer is increased, so that the thickness of the second sealing part 42 is increased under the condition that the whole thickness of the electrochromic element is basically unchanged, and the water vapor tightness of the electrochromic element is ensured.

In some alternative embodiments, as shown in fig. 4, the height of the second seal 42 is H3, and H3 satisfies the relationship: 0.1mm < H3 ≦ 100mm, and may be, for example, 0.1mm, 0.2mm, 0.3mm, 0.4mm, 0.5mm, 1.0mm, 2mm, 5mm, 10mm, 20mm, 30mm, 40mm, 50mm, 100mm, or the like. It will be appreciated that, within the above-mentioned range, the second seal portion 42 may better ensure the structural stability of the seal.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 8 to fig. 9, the electrochromic layer 2 includes an electrochromic material layer 21, an electrolyte layer 22, and an ion storage layer 23, which are sequentially stacked, and materials of each layer in the electrochromic layer 2 may be materials that are already disclosed in the prior art, and are not described herein again. It can be understood that, compared with the electrochromic layer 2 formed by the existing single electrochromic material layer 21, the structure of the composite electrochromic layer 2 of the present invention can improve the electrochromic performance of the electrochromic layer 2, thereby better meeting the use requirements of users.

Specific structures of electrochromic elements of seven specific embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to fig. 1 to 9.

The first embodiment is as follows:

as shown in fig. 1, the electrochromic element of the present embodiment includes a first substrate layer 1, an electrochromic layer 2, and a second substrate layer 3 which are stacked, and both ends of the first substrate layer 1 are disposed beyond the electrochromic layer 2. The electrochromic element further includes a first sealing member 4, the first sealing member 4 including a first sealing portion 41 and a second sealing portion 42, one end of the first sealing portion 41 being connected to the first substrate layer 1 and the other end being connected to the second sealing portion 42, the second sealing portion 42 being located outside the second substrate layer 3.

Example two:

as shown in fig. 2, the electrochromic element of the present embodiment is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment, except that a part of the second sealing portion 42 of the present embodiment is embedded in the second substrate layer 3, and the surface of the second sealing portion 42 facing away from the electrochromic layer 2 is located outside the surface of the second substrate layer 3 facing away from the electrochromic layer 2.

Example three:

as shown in fig. 3, the electrochromic element of the present embodiment is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment, except that the second sealing portion 42 is embedded in the second substrate layer 3, and the surface of the second sealing portion 42 facing away from the electrochromic layer 2 is flush with the surface of the second substrate layer 3 facing away from the electrochromic layer 2.

Example four:

as shown in fig. 4 to 5, the electrochromic element of the present embodiment includes a first additional layer 6, a first substrate layer 1, an electrochromic layer 2, and a second substrate layer 3, which are stacked, and both ends of the first substrate layer 1 are disposed beyond the electrochromic layer 2. The electrochromic element further comprises a first seal 4 and a second seal 5. The first sealing member 4 includes a first sealing portion 41 and a second sealing portion 42, and one end of the first sealing portion 41 is connected to the first substrate layer 1 and the other end is connected to the second sealing portion 42. The second sealing portion 42 is embedded in the second base layer 3, and a surface of the second sealing portion 42 remote from the second base layer 3 is flush with a surface of the second base layer 3. The first substrate layer 1 is provided with a sealing hole 102, a second sealing element 5 is arranged in the sealing hole 102, one end of the second sealing element 5 abuts against the surface of the first additional layer 6, and the other end abuts against the first sealing element 4.

Example five:

fig. 6 to 7 show that the electrochromic device of this embodiment is substantially the same as that of the fourth embodiment, except that a sealing groove 101 is formed on the first substrate layer 1, a second sealing member 5 is disposed in the sealing groove 101, one end of the second sealing member 5 abuts against the surface of the first additional layer 6, and the other end is inserted into the first sealing member 4.

Example six:

as shown in fig. 8, the electrochromic element includes a first additional layer 6, a first base layer 1, an electrochromic layer 2, a second base layer 3, a second additional layer 8, and a protective layer 10, which are stacked. Electrochromic layer 2 includes superimposed electrochromic material layer 21, electrolyte layer 22 and ion storage layer 23 in proper order, and first base layer 1 includes first transparent basement 11 and first transparent conducting layer 12, and first transparent conducting layer 12 contacts with electrochromic layer 2, and the one side that deviates from electrochromic layer 2 of first transparent basement 11 bonds with first additional layer 6 through first glue film 7. The second substrate layer 3 comprises a second transparent substrate 31 and a second transparent conductive layer 32, the second transparent conductive layer 32 being in contact with the electrochromic layer 2. The side of the second transparent substrate 31 facing away from the electrochromic layer 2 is bonded to the second additional layer 8 by means of a second glue layer 9. The first additional layer 6 is glass and the second additional layer 8 is a water oxygen barrier film. The electrochromic element further comprises a first sealing 4, the first sealing 4 comprising a first sealing 41 and a second sealing 42, the first sealing 41 being located on both sides of the electrochromic layer 2, the second substrate layer 3 and the second additional layer 8, the second sealing 42 having one end connected to the first sealing 41 and the other end resting on the outer surface of the second additional layer 8.

The preparation method of the electrochromic element of the embodiment is as follows:

q1: sequentially stacking a first substrate layer 1, an electrochromic layer 2, a second substrate layer 3, a second additional layer 8 and a protective layer 10 to form a multi-layer stack structure;

the preparation method comprises the following steps:

q11: a first transparent conductive layer 12 is formed on a first transparent substrate 11 to form a first substrate layer 1, and a second transparent conductive layer 32 is formed on a second transparent substrate 31 to form a second substrate layer 3. Specifically, the first transparent conductive layer 12 and the second transparent conductive layer 32 are formed on the first transparent substrate 11 and the second transparent substrate 31 by a magnetron sputtering method (or a vacuum evaporation deposition, a sol-gel, a chemical vapor deposition method, or the like);

q12: an electrochromic material is coated on the second transparent conductive layer 32. Specifically, 500mg of poly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) was dissolved in 10mL of o-xylene, magnetically stirred for 10 hours, and then the resulting solution was dropped onto the second transparent conductive layer 32 to form the electrochromic material layer 21 by spin coating;

q13: an ion storage layer 23 is coated on the first transparent conductive layer 12. Specifically, 500mg of tungsten trioxide is dissolved in 20mL of deionized water, and after stirring and filtration, the resulting solution is dropped onto the first transparent conductive layer 12, and a tungsten trioxide coating layer is formed by spin coating to obtain an ion storage layer 23;

q14: compounding: illustratively, lithium perchlorate in an amount of 20 wt%, methyl methacrylate in an amount of 59.9 wt%, propylene carbonate in an amount of 20 wt%, and azobisisobutyronitrile in an amount of 0.1 wt% may be mixed and coated on the ion storage layer 23 to form the electrolyte layer 22; then covering the electrochromic material layer 21 (together with the second substrate layer 3) on the ion conducting layer coating, and carrying out ultraviolet curing to enable the electrolyte layer 22 to form an all-solid-state polymer electrolyte layer 22;

q15: attaching the second additional layer 8 attached with the protective layer 10 to the outer side of the second transparent substrate 31 by using a second adhesive layer 9;

q2: placing the multilayer stacked structure with the second substrate layer 3 facing upwards, and etching from the upper part of the second substrate layer 3, specifically from the surface of the protective layer 10 to the surface of the first transparent conductive layer 12 to form a T-shaped or inverted L-shaped first groove;

q3: pouring a first sealant into the first groove;

q4: curing the first sealant to form a first seal 4;

q5: cutting off an excess part of the multi-layer stacked structure located outside the first sealing member 4 so that the first sealing member 4 and both ends of the first substrate layer 1 are flush;

q6: the first additional layer 6 is attached to the outside of the first substrate layer 1.

Example seven:

as shown in fig. 9, the electrochromic element of the present embodiment has substantially the same structure as that of the embodiment, except that the electrochromic element of the present embodiment further includes a second sealing member 5 embedded in the first substrate layer 1.

The preparation method of the electrochromic element of the embodiment is as follows:

the steps of Q1-Q5 in the sixth embodiment are repeated, and the method further comprises the following steps after the step of Q5:

q6: placing the multilayer stacked structure with the first substrate layer 1 facing upwards, presetting a first glue layer 7 on the surface of the first substrate layer 1, and etching from the upper side of the first substrate layer 1, specifically, from the surface of the first glue layer 7 to the surface or the inner part of the first sealing member 4 to form a second groove;

q7: pouring a second sealant into the second groove;

q8: curing the second sealant to form a second seal 5;

q9: the first additional layer 6 is attached to the outside of the first substrate layer 1.

A specific flow of a manufacturing method of an electrochromic element according to an embodiment of the present invention and a specific structure of an electrochromic element manufactured by the manufacturing method are described below with reference to fig. 10 to 11.

As shown in fig. 10, the present invention also discloses a method for preparing the above electrochromic device, which comprises:

s1: forming a multilayer stack structure in which a first substrate layer 1, an electrochromic layer 2, and a second substrate layer 3 are sequentially stacked;

s2: placing the multilayer stack structure with the second substrate layer 3 facing upwards, and etching the multilayer stack structure from the surface or above of the second substrate layer 3 to the first substrate layer 1 to form a first groove;

s3: pouring a first sealant into the first groove;

s4: curing the first sealant to form a first seal 4;

s5: an excess portion of the multilayer stack structure located outside the first sealing member 4 is cut off so that both ends of the first sealing member 4 and the first substrate layer 1 are flush.

It can be appreciated that the first sealing element 4 is formed in the first groove during the manufacturing process, which facilitates the filling of the first sealant and prevents the first sealant from overflowing. And the first sealing element 4, the first substrate layer 1 and the second substrate layer 3 have good connection stability after the curing is finished, and the probability that the first sealing element 4 cracks and falls off after the redundant part of the multilayer stacking structure located on the outer side of the first sealing element 4 is cut off is reduced.

It should be additionally noted here that, when the first groove is formed by etching, if the second substrate layer 3 is the outermost structure of the entire multi-layer stack structure, the first groove is formed by etching from the surface of the second substrate layer 3 down to the first substrate layer 1. If further additional plies are provided on the outside of the second substrate layer 3, a first groove is etched from the surface of the further additional plies down to the first substrate layer 1.

According to the preparation method of the electrochromic element, in the preparation process, the first substrate layer 1 is etched from the surface or the upper part of the second substrate layer 3 to form the first groove, and the first sealing element 4 is formed in the first groove, so that the preparation process of the electrochromic element is simplified, the contact area of the first sealing element 4 and other laminas is increased, the probability of cracking and falling of the first sealing element 4 is reduced, and the use reliability of the electrochromic element is improved.

In some embodiments, the multilayer stack formed in step S1 further includes a second glue layer 9 and a second additional layer 8 disposed over the second base layer 3. Therefore, the second additional layer 8 can better protect the second substrate layer 3 and can realize other optical functions, so that the application range of the electrochromic element is widened. It should be additionally noted that when the multi-layer stacked structure further includes the second glue layer 9 and the second additional layer 8 disposed above the second substrate layer 3, it is necessary to etch from the surface of the second additional layer 8 down to the first substrate layer 1 during the processing to form the first groove.

In some embodiments, the multi-layer stack structure formed in step S1 further includes a second glue layer 9 disposed over the second base layer 3, a second additional layer 8, and a removable protective layer 10 attached to the second additional layer 8. It should be additionally noted that when the multi-layer stacked structure further includes the second glue layer 9, the second additional layer 8 and the protection layer 10 disposed above the second substrate layer 3, it is necessary to etch from the surface of the protection layer 10 down to the first substrate layer 1 during the processing to form the first groove.

Alternatively, the second additional layer 8 is a flexible or rigid layer, such as a commercially available flexible water oxygen barrier membrane or a rigid glass layer. Therefore, the second additional layer 8 can select to use a flexible layer or a rigid layer according to the use scene of the electrochromic element, so that the application range of the electrochromic element of the embodiment is improved, and the market competitiveness of the product is improved. Alternatively, the second additional layer 8 may be glass. Of course, other layers can be selected for the second additional layer 8 according to actual needs.

Preferably, the protective layer 10 can be summarized as a layer structure having poor adhesion and easy peeling, such as a release film. In practice, the protective layer 10 is then simply removed from the second substrate layer 3.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 11, after step S5, the method further includes:

s6: placing the multilayer stacked structure with the first substrate layer 1 facing upwards, and etching from the surface or above of the first substrate layer 1 to the surface or inside of the first seal 4 to form a second groove;

s7: pouring a second sealant into the second groove;

s8: the second sealant is cured to form the second seal 5.

It will be appreciated that the second seal 5 is formed in the second recess during manufacture, both to facilitate the pouring of the second sealant and to avoid spillage of the second sealant. And the second sealing element 5 and the second substrate layer 3 and the first sealing element 4 have better connection stability after the solidification is finished. And because the special positions of the first groove and the second groove, no external baffle needs to be laid in the whole glue filling process, thereby facilitating the preparation of the electrochromic element.

It should be additionally noted here that, when the second groove is formed by etching, if the first substrate layer 1 is the outermost structure of the entire multilayer stack structure, the second groove is formed by etching from the surface of the first substrate layer 1 down to the surface or inside of the first seal member 4. If the outer side of the first substrate layer 1 is also provided with a first glue layer 7 for attaching further additional plies, a second groove is etched from the surface of the first glue layer 7 down to the surface or inside the first seal 4. And after the step of S8, the method further includes a step of S9 of attaching the first additional 6 layers to the first adhesive layer 7.

In some embodiments, steps S3 and S7 are performed in a vacuum environment. Therefore, air bubbles in the first sealing element 4 and the second sealing element 5 are avoided, and the sealing performance and stability of the first sealing element and the second sealing element are ensured.

In the description herein, references to the description of "some embodiments," "other embodiments," etc., mean that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the terms used above do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and for those skilled in the art, the present invention should not be limited by the description of the present invention, which should be interpreted as a limitation.

Claims (10)

1. An electrochromic element is characterized by comprising a first substrate layer (1), an electrochromic layer (2) and a second substrate layer (3) which are arranged in a stacked mode, wherein two ends of the first substrate layer (1) are arranged beyond the electrochromic layer (2); wherein:

the electrochromic element further comprises a first sealing element (4), wherein the first sealing element (4) comprises a first sealing part (41) and a second sealing part (42), the first sealing part (41) is circumferentially arranged in the peripheral area of the electrochromic layer (2), one end of the first sealing part (41) is connected with the first substrate layer (1), the other end of the first sealing part is connected with the second sealing part (42), and the second sealing part (42) is located on one side, facing the second substrate layer (3), of the electrochromic layer (2).

2. Electrochromic element according to claim 1, characterised in that the second seal (42) is located outside the second substrate layer (3); or;

at least part of the second seal (42) is embedded within the second substrate layer (3), wherein:

the surface of the second seal (42) facing away from the electrochromic layer (2) is located outside the surface of the second substrate layer (3) facing away from the electrochromic layer (2); or;

the surface of the second seal (42) facing away from the electrochromic layer (2) is flush with the surface of the second substrate layer (3) facing away from the electrochromic layer (2).

3. Electrochromic element according to claim 1, characterised in that it further comprises a second seal (5), the second seal (5) being embedded in the first substrate layer (1), one end of the second seal (5) abutting on the first seal (41); alternatively, one end of the second seal member (5) is fitted into the first seal portion (41).

4. Electrochromic element according to claim 3, characterised in that the first substrate layer (1) is provided with at least one sealing hole (102) spaced along its circumference, each sealing hole (102) being filled with one of the second seals (5); or;

the sealing structure is characterized in that a sealing groove (101) extending along the circumferential direction of the first base layer (1) is arranged on the first base layer (1), two ends of the sealing groove (101) are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the first base layer (1), and the second sealing element (5) is filled in the sealing groove (101).

5. Electrochromic element according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the electrochromic element further comprises a first additional layer (6) and a first glue layer (7), the first additional layer (6) being bonded to the outside of the first substrate layer (1) by means of the first glue layer (7).

6. Electrochromic element according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the electrochromic element further comprises a second additional layer (8) and a second glue layer (9), the second additional layer (8) being bonded to the outside of the second substrate layer (3) by means of the second glue layer (9).

7. Electrochromic element according to claim 6, characterized in that it further comprises a removable protective layer (10), which protective layer (10) is provided outside the second additional layer (8); first sealing (41) inlays and establishes second additional layer (8) and in second glue film (9), second sealing (42) orientation the surface butt of electrochromic layer (2) is in second additional layer (8), second glue film (9) or on the surface of second stratum basale (3) or inside, just second sealing (42) deviate from the surface of electrochromic layer (2) with the surface of protective layer (10) flushes the setting.

8. The method for producing an electrochromic element according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by comprising:

s1: forming a multilayer stack structure in which the first substrate layer (1), the electrochromic layer (2), and the second substrate layer (3) are sequentially stacked;

s2: placing the multilayer stack structure with the second substrate layer (3) facing upwards, etching from the surface of or above the second substrate layer (3) to the first substrate layer (1) to form a first groove;

s3: pouring a first sealant into the first groove;

s4: curing the first sealant to form the first seal (4);

s5: cutting off an excess part of the multilayer stack structure outside the first seal (4) so that the first seal (4) and the two ends of the first substrate layer (1) are flush.

9. The method of manufacturing an electrochromic element according to claim 8, characterized in that the multilayer stack formed in step S1 further comprises a second glue layer (9) and a second additional layer (8) provided over the second substrate layer (3); or:

the multilayer stack structure further comprises a second glue layer (9) arranged above the second substrate layer (3), a second additional layer (8) and a removable protective layer (10) attached to the second additional layer (8).

10. The method for manufacturing an electrochromic element according to claim 8, further comprising, after step S5:

s6: placing the multilayer stack structure with the first substrate layer (1) facing upwards, etching from the surface or above of the first substrate layer (1) to the surface or inside of the first seal (4) to form a second groove;

s7: pouring a second sealant into the second groove;

s8: curing the second sealant to form a second seal (5).

Images