JP2017106979A - Twist ball type electronic paper - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a twist ball type electronic paper which has excellent display retention and prevents solvent leakage.
A transparent electrode substrate having a transparent electrode disposed on a transparent substrate, a pixel electrode disposed on one surface of a back substrate, and the other surface of the back substrate. A back electrode substrate 7 having a wiring electrode 6 disposed thereon, and a twist ball 9 dispersed in a swelling layer 8 swollen by a solvent disposed between the transparent electrode substrate and the back electrode substrate. A twisting ball type electronic paper 100 having a transparent electrode disposed on the twisting ball layer side of the transparent base material, and a pixel electrode serving as the twisting ball layer of the back base material. The pixel electrode and the wiring electrode are connected via a through hole 11 provided in the back substrate, and the pixel electrode and the through hole are interposed between the back substrate and the twist ball layer. Cover the pixel Side insulating layer 12 is disposed.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a twisting ball type electronic paper having excellent display retention.

  In recent years, a display medium called electronic paper has attracted attention. Electronic paper has outstanding characteristics such as bendable flexibility, thinness and lightness, and has the outstanding feature of being rewritable. Such electronic paper includes various display methods such as a twisting ball method, an electrophoresis method, and a liquid crystal display method. Among these, twist ball type electronic paper (twist ball type electronic paper) using two-color spherical particles (twist balls) is attracting attention because of its excellent outdoor visibility and low power consumption.

  In Patent Document 1, as shown in FIG. 2, a transparent electrode substrate 103 having a transparent substrate 101 and a transparent electrode layer 102, a counter electrode substrate 106 having a counter substrate 104 and a counter electrode layer 105, and a twist An electronic paper 200 having a ball 107 and a twist ball layer 109 including a low-polarity solvent layer 108 and having the twist ball layer 109 sealed with a transparent substrate 101, a counter substrate 104, and a sealant 110 is disclosed. Yes.

JP 2012-198320 A

  In the electronic paper as disclosed in Patent Document 1, since each electrode layer and the twist ball layer are arranged via a base material, a voltage higher than a voltage necessary for driving the twist ball is applied to the electrode. Need to be applied. Since application of such a high voltage leads to an increase in cost on the drive circuit side, lowering the voltage is being studied. As one means for lowering the voltage, there is a method in which each electrode is disposed on the twist ball layer side of the substrate, and each electrode and the twist ball layer are brought into direct contact with each other.

  The electronic paper can hold the above display by maintaining the charged state by applying the voltage even after the voltage application is stopped after applying the voltage to display the display. The main feature is that it does not require a large amount of power. However, in an electronic paper having a configuration in which each electrode and the twist ball layer are in direct contact with each other, the charge charged on the twist ball is likely to be released through the electrode, so that display can be maintained for a long time. It can be difficult.

  When the pixel electrode is disposed on the twist ball layer side of the base material, it is necessary to provide a through hole in the counter base material and connect the counter electrode to the take-out electrode. However, when the counter substrate has an opening such as a through hole, there is a possibility that the solvent used for the twisting ball layer leaks from the opening.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a main object of the present invention is to provide a twist ball type electronic paper having excellent display retainability and preventing leakage of a solvent.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a transparent electrode substrate having a transparent substrate and a transparent electrode disposed on the transparent substrate, a back substrate, and one surface of the back substrate. A back electrode substrate having a pixel electrode and a wiring electrode disposed on the other surface of the back substrate; a solvent disposed between the transparent electrode substrate and the back electrode substrate; A twisted ball type electronic paper having a swollen layer swollen by the solvent and a twisted ball layer dispersed in the swollen layer, wherein the transparent electrode is formed of the transparent substrate. The pixel electrode is disposed on the twisting ball layer side of the back substrate, and the pixel electrode and the wiring electrode have through holes provided in the back substrate. Connected through And a twisted ball type electronic paper, wherein a pixel electrode side insulating layer is disposed between the back substrate and the twisted ball layer so as to cover the pixel electrode and the through hole. To do.

  In the present invention, since the pixel electrode side insulating layer as described above is provided, it is possible to prevent the discharge of electric charges after the voltage application is stopped, so that display can be maintained for a long period of time. Further, since the pixel electrode and the through hole are covered by the pixel electrode side insulating layer, it is possible to prevent the solvent from leaking through the through hole.

  In the said invention, it is preferable that the said transparent electrode side insulating layer is arrange | positioned between the said transparent electrode and the said twist ball | bowl layer. This is because the display retainability can be further improved by disposing the transparent electrode side insulating layer on the transparent electrode side.

  In the present invention, there is an effect that it is possible to obtain a twist ball type electronic paper having excellent display holding property and preventing leakage of a solvent.

It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows an example of the twist ball type electronic paper of this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows an example of the conventional twist ball type electronic paper.

  Hereinafter, the twist ball type electronic paper of the present invention will be described.

  The twist ball type electronic paper of the present invention is disposed on one surface of the transparent substrate, the transparent substrate having the transparent electrode disposed on the transparent substrate, the back substrate, and the back substrate. A back electrode substrate having a pixel electrode and a wiring electrode disposed on the other surface of the back substrate, a solvent disposed between the transparent electrode substrate and the back electrode substrate, A twist ball type electronic paper having a swollen layer swollen by the solvent and a twist ball layer dispersed in the swollen layer, wherein the transparent electrode is a twist of the transparent substrate. Disposed on the ball layer side, the pixel electrode is disposed on the twisted ball layer side of the back substrate, and the pixel electrode and the wiring electrode are connected through a through hole provided in the back substrate. Contact It is, between the rear substrate and the twisting ball layer, so as to cover the pixel electrodes and the through-hole, is characterized in that the pixel electrode-side insulating layer is disposed.

  The twist ball type electronic paper of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the twisting ball type electronic paper of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the twist ball type electronic paper 100 of the present invention includes a transparent substrate 1 and a transparent electrode substrate 3 having a transparent electrode 2 disposed on the transparent substrate 1, and a back substrate 4. A back electrode substrate 7 having a pixel electrode 5 disposed on one surface of the back substrate 4 and a wiring electrode 6 disposed on the other surface of the back substrate 4, and the transparent A solvent (not shown), a swollen layer 8 swollen by the solvent, and a twist ball 9 dispersed in the swollen layer 8 are disposed between the electrode substrate 3 and the back electrode substrate 7. And a twist ball layer 10 having. In the present invention, the transparent electrode 2 and the pixel electrode 5 are disposed on the twisting ball layer 10 side of the transparent substrate 1 and the back substrate 4. In addition, the pixel electrode 5 and the wiring electrode 6 are connected through a through hole 11 provided in the back substrate 4, and the above-described back substrate 4 and the twisting ball layer 10 are connected with each other. A pixel electrode side insulating layer 12 is disposed so as to cover the pixel electrode 5 and the through hole 11. Further, the transparent electrode side insulating layer 13 may be disposed between the transparent electrode 2 and the twist ball layer 10.

In the present invention, since the pixel electrode side insulating layer as described above is provided, it is possible to prevent the discharge of electric charge after the voltage application is stopped and to maintain a good display for a long period of time. Further, since the pixel electrode and the through hole are covered by the pixel electrode side insulating layer, it is possible to prevent the solvent from leaking through the through hole.
Hereinafter, each structure of the twist ball type electronic paper of the present invention will be described in detail.

1. Insulating Layer (1) Pixel Electrode Side Insulating Layer The pixel electrode side insulating layer in the present invention is disposed between the back base material and the twist ball layer so as to cover the pixel electrode and the through hole. Here, “the pixel electrode side insulating layer is disposed so as to cover the pixel electrode and the through hole” means that the surface of the pixel electrode facing the twist ball layer and the twist ball layer are between It means that the pixel electrode side insulating layer is disposed and the through hole is blocked by the pixel electrode side insulating layer. In addition, the state that “the through hole is blocked by the pixel electrode side insulating layer” means that the pixel electrode side insulating layer is plugged to each through hole at any position in the axial direction of each through hole. This means that the pixel electrode side insulating layer is arranged only on the surface of the opening of the through hole on the twisting ball layer side, even if the entire volume of the through hole is filled with the pixel electrode side insulating layer. May be. In the present invention, it is preferable that the pixel electrode side insulating layer is disposed so as to close the opening of the through hole on the twist ball layer side. Specifically, the region within the range of 10 μm to 50 μm from the opening of the through hole on the twist ball layer side, in particular within the range of 10 μm to 40 μm, particularly 10 μm to 30 μm, is filled with the pixel electrode side insulating layer. It is preferable that This is because by disposing the pixel electrode side insulating layer in this way, it is possible to prevent the leakage of the solvent more reliably.

  In the present invention, for example, the pixel electrode side insulating layer is disposed in the entire area in plan view where the back substrate and the twisting ball layer face each other, so that the pixel “so as to cover the pixel electrode and the through hole” is provided. An electrode-side insulating layer can be disposed. Thus, the method of disposing the pixel electrode side insulating layer is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a method of applying a pixel electrode side insulating layer forming coating liquid and a method of disposing an insulating film. Can do. In the present invention, it is particularly preferable to apply the pixel electrode-side insulating layer forming coating solution by a printing method, particularly a screen printing method. This is because a pixel electrode-side insulating layer having a uniform and desired film thickness can be easily formed.

  A material for forming such a pixel electrode side insulating layer is not particularly limited as long as it has insulating properties, and a general insulating material such as a resin can be used. Specifically, acrylic, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polyvinyl alcohol, polyimide, polyethylene naphthalate, polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, polyether imide, polyether ether ketone, polyether ketone, polyphenylene sulfide, liquid crystal polymer, An epoxy resin, a silicone resin, a phenol resin, etc. can be mentioned.

  In the present invention, among the above, acrylic resins, epoxy resins and the like are suitably used as the material for the pixel electrode side insulating layer.

  In addition, when the pixel electrode side insulating layer is formed by a printing method, as the pixel electrode side insulating layer forming coating solution, a solder resist used for forming an insulating layer of a printed board such as a glass epoxy (glass epoxy) substrate is used. Etc. can be used. As the solder resist, an acrylic resin, an epoxy resin, or the like can be suitably used.

  The film thickness of the pixel electrode side insulating layer is not particularly limited as long as it covers the pixel electrode and the through hole and can prevent the solvent used for the twist ball layer from leaking from the through hole provided in the back substrate. For example, it may be in the range of 10 μm to 50 μm, in particular in the range of 10 μm to 40 μm, and particularly in the range of 10 μm to 30 μm. If the film thickness of the pixel electrode-side insulating layer is less than the above range, there is a possibility that desired display retainability cannot be obtained or leakage of the solvent cannot be prevented. In addition, when the film thickness of the pixel electrode side insulating layer exceeds the above range, the twist ball cannot be driven unless a high voltage is applied to the pixel electrode, and the material cost may increase. The above-mentioned “film thickness of the pixel electrode side insulating layer” is the film thickness of the pixel electrode side insulating layer in the region where the back substrate and the twist ball layer face each other, not in the region where the through hole is provided. .

(2) Transparent electrode side insulating layer In this invention, it is preferable that the transparent electrode side insulating layer is arrange | positioned between the transparent electrode and the twist ball layer. This is because the display holding property of the twist ball type electronic paper can be further improved. The material for forming such a transparent electrode side insulating layer is not particularly limited as long as it is a transparent material having insulating properties. Specifically, the above-mentioned “(1) Pixel electrode side insulating layer” is used. Among the materials exemplified in the above, transparent materials can be used. The film thickness, formation method, and the like of the transparent electrode side insulating layer can be the same as those described in the above “(1) Pixel electrode side insulating layer”.

2. Back electrode base material The back electrode base material in the present invention includes a back base material, a pixel electrode disposed on one surface of the back base material, and a wiring electrode disposed on the other surface of the back base material. The pixel electrode and the wiring electrode arranged on the back substrate are connected via a through hole provided in the back substrate. Hereinafter, each structure of a back electrode base material is demonstrated.

(1) Back base material The back base material has a through hole for supporting the pixel electrode on one surface and the wiring electrode on the other surface and connecting the pixel electrode and the wiring electrode. . Such a back substrate is not particularly limited as long as it can support a pixel electrode and a wiring electrode on each surface of the back substrate and can form a through hole. What has is used. The said back base material may have transparency and does not need to have transparency. Moreover, such a back substrate may be a flexible substrate or a rigid substrate.

  The through hole provided in the back base material has a member that penetrates the back base material and can electrically connect the pixel electrode and the wiring electrode arranged on each surface of the back base material. There is no particular limitation as long as it can be used. The diameter of such a through hole can be, for example, in the range of 20 μm to 300 μm, in particular in the range of 20 μm to 200 μm, particularly in the range of 20 μm to 100 μm. If the diameter of the through hole is less than the above range, the member connecting the pixel electrode and the wiring electrode is too small, and there is a possibility that the two electrodes cannot be sufficiently connected. On the other hand, if the diameter of the through hole exceeds the above range, the opening becomes too large, the support of the back substrate is lowered, the area for forming the pixel electrode is reduced, and the pixel for preventing the solvent from leaking There is a possibility that problems such as the need to increase the thickness of the electrode-side insulating layer may occur.

  As the back substrate, an inorganic substrate, a resin substrate, or the like can be used. As the inorganic transparent substrate, a glass substrate can be exemplified. Moreover, as glass, soda-lime glass, alkali-free glass, quartz glass, etc. can be used, and alkali-free glass is preferable among them. On the other hand, as the resin used for the resin-made transparent substrate, a transparent material among the materials exemplified in “1. Insulating layer, (1) Pixel electrode side insulating layer” can be used.

  In addition to those described above, the back substrate is composed of glass epoxy resin, paper phenol, paper epoxy, glass composite, Teflon (registered trademark), alumina, low-temperature co-fired ceramics, composite, halogen-free substrate, etc. Can be mentioned.

  The film thickness of the back substrate is not particularly limited as long as it can support the pixel electrode and the wiring electrode, but it is within the range of 50 μm to 1000 μm, especially 50 μm to 500 μm. In particular, it is preferable to be in the range of 50 μm to 300 μm. When the film thickness of the back substrate is less than the above range, the support of the back substrate may be insufficient, and when the film thickness of the back substrate exceeds the above range, electronic paper This is because there is a possibility of increasing the film thickness and weight as a whole.

(2) Pixel electrode The pixel electrode in this invention is arrange | positioned on the surface on the opposite side to a wiring electrode of the back surface base material mentioned above. The form of such a pixel electrode can be appropriately selected according to the use of electronic paper. For example, when the electronic paper performs fixed information display, the pixel electrode is used as a display electrode and has a pattern shape corresponding to information displayed on the electronic paper.

  Here, the “pattern shape according to information displayed on the electronic paper” means not only the same shape as each piece of information displayed on the display surface of the electronic paper but also a shape corresponding to the background. .

  Further, the pattern shape of the pixel electrode may be a pattern shape that enables one information to be displayed using one pixel electrode, and one information is obtained using a plurality of pixel electrodes. It may be a pattern shape that can be displayed.

  The pattern shape of such a pixel electrode is not particularly limited, and is appropriately selected according to the use of electronic paper. Specifically, geometric shapes, letters, numbers, codes, marks, designs, etc., and shapes corresponding to the background can be mentioned. In addition, examples of the shape of the pixel electrode include a shape constituting 7 segments used for digital display.

  On the other hand, when the electronic paper performs variable information display, for example, when variable information display is performed by passive driving, one of the pixel electrode and the transparent electrode described later is a scanning (row) electrode, and the other is a signal. It shall be used as a (row) electrode. Since the shape of the pixel electrode in this case can be the same as that used in general passive drive electronic paper, description thereof is omitted here.

  Further, in the case where the electronic paper includes a portion that performs fixed information display and a portion that performs variable information display, the pixel electrode corresponding to each portion has the above-described modes.

  The pixel electrode is not particularly limited as long as it is made of a conductive material and can display information using a twist ball layer described later by applying a voltage to the pixel electrode. .

The material used for such a pixel electrode is not particularly limited as long as it is a conductive material. For example, metals such as Au, Al, Ag, Ni, and Cu, ITO, SnO ₂ , and ZnO: Examples thereof include a transparent conductor such as Al, and a conductive paste in which a conductive agent is mixed with a solvent or a synthetic resin binder. Examples of the conductive agent include cationic polymer electrolytes such as polymethylbenzyltrimethylammonium chloride and polyallylpolymethylammonium chloride, anionic polymer electrolytes such as polystyrene sulfonate and polyacrylate, and electronically conductive zinc oxide. Tin oxide, indium oxide, carbon fine powder, carbon nanotube, Ag fine powder and the like are used.

  In addition, the pixel electrode is formed by patterning a thin film on the back substrate by sputtering, vacuum deposition, CVD, coating, etc. using the above-mentioned metal, transparent conductor, etc., using a metal mask or the like. And a method of applying the conductive paste in a pattern on the back substrate.

  The film thickness of the pixel electrode is not particularly limited as long as the image can be displayed by the electronic paper. Specifically, the film thickness is in the range of 50 nm to 500 μm, It is preferably in the range of 100 nm to 100 μm, particularly in the range of 300 nm to 50 μm. If the pixel electrode thickness is less than the above range, it is difficult to form a pixel electrode having a uniform thickness. If the pixel electrode thickness exceeds the above range, it takes time to form the pixel electrode. This is also because a large amount of material for the pixel electrode is required, which increases the manufacturing cost.

(3) Wiring electrode The wiring electrode in this invention is arrange | positioned on the surface on the opposite side to a pixel electrode of the back base material mentioned above. The wiring electrode is electrically connected to the pixel electrode through a through hole provided in the back substrate, whereby the pixel electrode is connected to an external power source via the wiring electrode. Such a wiring electrode is not particularly limited as long as it can perform the above-described function, and can have the same configuration as a so-called extraction electrode in a general display device. Further, since the film thickness, material, formation method, and the like of the wiring electrode are the same as those in “(2) Pixel electrode”, description thereof is omitted here.

(4) Back electrode base material The pixel electrode and wiring electrode which were mentioned above are connected through the through-hole provided in the back base material. The pixel electrode and the wiring electrode may be directly connected or may be connected via another member such as a connection layer. For example, the pixel electrode and the wiring electrode extending in the horizontal direction of the back substrate can be connected by a connection layer extending in the film thickness direction of the back substrate (the axial direction of the through hole). The method for forming such a connection layer is not particularly limited as long as a desired connection layer can be obtained, and can be formed by a method generally used in the manufacture of display devices. For example, the connection layer can be formed by providing a hole (through hole) in the back electrode substrate on which the pixel electrode and the wiring electrode are formed, and forming a metal layer on the wall surface of the through hole by a plating method or the like. . The material of the connection layer at this time is not particularly limited as long as a plating method can be used, and generally copper is preferably used. The thickness of the connection layer is not particularly limited as long as the pixel electrode and the wiring electrode can be electrically connected to each other, and can be, for example, in the range of 1 μm to 10 μm.

3. Transparent electrode base material The transparent electrode base material used for this invention has a transparent base material and the transparent electrode arrange | positioned on the said transparent base material. The transparent electrode substrate may be an off-the-shelf product or a formed one.

(1) Transparent base material A transparent base material supports a transparent electrode. Such a transparent substrate may be a rigid transparent substrate or a transparent substrate having flexibility.

  Examples of such a transparent substrate include an inorganic transparent substrate and a resin transparent substrate. As the inorganic transparent substrate, a glass substrate can be exemplified. Moreover, as glass, soda-lime glass, alkali-free glass, quartz glass, etc. can be used, and alkali-free glass is preferable among them. On the other hand, as the resin used for the resin-made transparent substrate, a transparent material among the materials exemplified in “1. Insulating layer, (1) Pixel electrode side insulating layer” can be used.

  The film thickness of such a transparent substrate is not particularly limited as long as a transparent electrode described later can be formed. The film thickness of such a transparent substrate is preferably in the range of 50 μm to 1000 μm, more preferably in the range of 50 μm to 500 μm, and particularly preferably in the range of 50 μm to 300 μm. It is because it may become difficult to form the transparent electrode mentioned later on a transparent base material when the film thickness of the said transparent base material is less than the said range. Moreover, it is because there exists a possibility of bringing about the increase in the film thickness and weight as the whole electronic paper when the film thickness of the said transparent base material exceeds the said range.

(2) Transparent electrode As a form of a transparent electrode, it can select suitably according to the use of electronic paper. For example, when the electronic paper performs fixed information display, the transparent electrode is generally formed on the entire surface of the transparent substrate.

  On the other hand, when the electronic paper performs variable information display, for example, when variable information display is performed by passive driving, one of the transparent electrode and the pixel electrode described above is a scanning (row) electrode, and the other is a signal. It shall be used as a (row) electrode. Since the shape of the transparent electrode in this case can be the same as that used for general passive-driven electronic paper, description thereof is omitted here.

  In addition, when the electronic paper has a portion for displaying fixed information and a portion for displaying variable information, the transparent electrode corresponding to each portion has the above-described modes. Note that the fixed information display refers to information display expressed in advance by setting the shape of the pixel electrode to a specific shape and the presence or absence of the specific shape on the display surface. On the other hand, variable information display refers to information display that is changed and expressed by using a matrix-like transparent electrode and pixel electrode.

  The material of the transparent electrode is not particularly limited as long as it is a conductive material capable of forming a transparent electrode. For example, indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), tin oxide, zinc oxide , Conductive oxides such as indium oxide and zinc aluminum oxide (AZO), metals such as Au, Ni, and Ag, conductive polymers such as polyaniline, polyacetylene, polyalkylthiophene derivatives, polysilane derivatives, carbon nanotubes, graphene, etc. Can be used.

  Although it will not specifically limit as long as it can function as a transparent electrode as a film thickness of a transparent electrode, It is preferable to exist in the range of 15 nm-200 nm. This is because it is difficult to form a transparent electrode with a uniform film thickness when the film thickness of the transparent electrode is less than the above range, and when the film thickness of the transparent electrode exceeds the above range, the formation of the transparent electrode is difficult. This is because the manufacturing cost increases because more time and materials are used for the film.

  The method for forming the transparent electrode is not particularly limited as long as the transparent electrode can be formed with a desired film thickness. As a method for forming such a transparent electrode, a general electrode film forming method can be used. For example, a PVD method such as a vacuum deposition method, a sputtering method, or an ion plating method, a CVD method, or a conductive paste is used. The method of apply | coating etc. are mentioned.

(3) Others The transparent electrode substrate in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it has the above-described transparent electrode and transparent substrate, and a necessary configuration can be appropriately selected and added. Examples of such a configuration include an auxiliary electrode and wiring.

4). Twist Ball Layer The twist ball layer in the present invention usually has a twist ball having a two-color layer having different charging characteristics as the display medium, and further has a solvent and a swelling layer. Hereinafter, each structure of the twist ball layer will be described.

(1) Twist ball The twist ball used in the present invention has two hues having different charging characteristics. Further, it functions as a display medium in the twisting ball type electronic paper of the present invention. More specifically, the display is performed by rotating the twist ball.

  The twist ball used in the present invention is spherical as long as it has a colored hue and a white hue or two colored hues having different colored hues and colored hues, and the two different hues have different charging characteristics. It is not particularly limited.

  As such a twist ball, for example, the twist ball manufactured by the microchannel manufacturing method proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-197083 can be used.

  Here, in the microchannel manufacturing method, the colored continuous phase and the spherical particleized phase are in an O / W type or W / O type relationship with each other, and from the first microchannel in which the colored continuous phase is transferred, Charging characteristics of two-color spherical polymer particles and having a positive (±) polarity by sequentially discharging two colored continuous phases into the spherical particle phase of the flowing medium flowing in the second microchannel A manufacturing method for manufacturing a twist ball which is a spherical particle.

  In the above microchannel production method, the polymerizability in a colored continuous phase in which an oily or aqueous fluid medium containing a polymerizable resin component is phase-separated into two colors containing a coloring dye or pigment insoluble in this medium. The resin component is formed with different positively and negatively charged polymerizable monomers, transferred to the first microchannel, and this colored continuous phase is then transferred into the aqueous or oily spherical particleized phase flowing in the second microchannel. In addition, the liquid is sequentially or intermittently discharged. Next, the discharged material discharged into the spherical particle phase is successively formed into spherical particles during the spherical particle phase while being converted into spherical particles during a series of discharge, dispersion, and transfer within the microchannel. A twist ball is appropriately prepared by polymerizing and curing the polymerizable resin component in the particulate phase under at least one of UV irradiation and heating.

  The colored continuous phase is a continuous hue divided into two hues, for example, black and white, red and white, yellow and white, blue and white, green and white, purple and white, etc. There can be mentioned two phase separation hues selected from “chromatic hue and white hue”, or two phase separation hues having different “color hue and color hue”. The colorant for forming such a hue is appropriately selected and used without particular limitation as long as it is insoluble or uniformly dispersed in a fluid dispersion medium containing a polymerizable resin component described later. As the colorant, dyes and pigments can be used.

  As such dyes and pigments, for example, those described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-197083 can be used, and description thereof is omitted here.

  The addition amount of the dyes and pigments as these colorants is not particularly limited, and the desired color tone varies depending on the use of the colored particles, and the dispersibility in the above-described colored continuous phase, etc. Therefore, in the present invention, it is within the range of 0.1 to 80 parts by weight, preferably 2 to 10 parts by weight, per 100 parts by weight of the total polymerizable resin component which is a polymerization and curing component in the colored continuous phase. It can be suitably suitably added within the range.

  As the polymerizable resin component or polymerizable monomer used in the twist ball, the chargeability of the twist ball depends on the type of the functional group or substituent of the polymerizable monomer used in the twist ball. Mention may be made of monomer species that tend to exhibit (+) chargeability. Therefore, in the case where at least two or more kinds of monomers are used as the polymerizable resin component in the present invention, the tendency to show the (+) and (−) chargeability is well known, A plurality of monomers having a tendency to property can be used in combination as appropriate.

  On the other hand, in the polymerizable resin component or polymerizable monomer having in the molecule at least one kind of functional group and substituent, examples of the functional group or substituent include carbonyl group, vinyl group, phenyl group, amino group. Groups, amide groups, imide groups, hydroxyl groups, halogen groups, sulfonic acid groups, epoxy groups and urethane bonds. In this invention, it can use suitably suitably combining the monomer type which has a functional group or a substituent in such a polymerizable monomer individually or in combination of 2 or more types.

  As the (−) chargeable monomer and the (+) chargeable polymerizable monomer, for example, those described in JP-A-2004-197083 can be used. The description in is omitted.

  In the present invention, when such a polymerizable monomer at the time of polymerization of the polymerizable resin component after being discharged as a colored continuous phase to the second microchannel already described above is used in combination with another copolymerizable monomer, Depending on the desired chargeability or electrophoretic properties entrusted to the colored resin fine particles, a monomer having a tendency to be charged on a weight basis is preferably in the range of 1% to 100% of the total monomers, Copolymer particles with a polymerizable monomer preferably within a range of 5% to 100%, particularly preferably within a range of 10% to 100%, are suitably used as appropriate to provide a desired twist ball. can do.

The twist ball is a spherical monodisperse particle having an average particle diameter in a range of 1.0 μm to 400 μm, preferably in a range of 20 μm to 200 μm, more preferably in a range of 50 μm to 50 μm. It can be suitably prepared within the range of 120 μm. In addition, uniform particles with extremely low variation in average particle diameter are appropriately prepared. In the present invention, the homogeneity is expressed as a Cv value, and is suitably used as a twist ball of monodisperse particles of 20% or less, preferably 5% or less, more preferably 3% or less.
Here, an average particle diameter is an average particle diameter by microscopic observation. The average particle diameter by microscopic observation is obtained, for example, by performing microscopic observation at 100 times, measuring 100 particle diameters of arbitrary particles with image processing software, and the like and averaging the number. The particle diameter refers to the average value of the major axis diameter and the minor axis diameter of the particles.

(2) Solvent The solvent used in the present invention is used for smooth rotation of the twist ball described above. Moreover, a solvent is normally used by swelling the swelling layer mentioned later.

  Such a solvent is not particularly limited as long as it can be smoothly rotated without hindering the rotation of the twist ball. Examples of such solvents include dimethyl silicone oil, isoparaffinic solvents, and linear paraffinic solvents, linear alkanes such as dodecane and tridecane.

(3) Swelling layer The swelling layer used for this invention consists of an elastomer material which can be swollen with the said solvent. The swelling layer is a sheet-like member in which the twist ball is dispersed, and is used by swelling the sheet with the solvent.

  The material used for such a swelling layer is not particularly limited as long as the twist ball can be dispersed and can be swollen with the solvent. Examples of the material for the swelling layer include a silicone resin, a slightly crosslinked acrylic resin, a slightly crosslinked styrene resin, and a polyolefin resin.

  Further, the film thickness of the swelling layer is not particularly limited as long as it is possible to display information with the twist ball dispersed in the swelling layer in the twist ball type electronic paper of the present invention, It is preferably in the range of 50 μm to 1000 μm, in particular in the range of 100 μm to 700 μm, particularly in the range of 150 μm to 500 μm. If the film thickness of the swelling layer is less than the above range, it is difficult to make the swollen layer in which the twist balls are uniformly dispersed. If the film thickness of the swelling layer exceeds the above range, This is because the twist ball may be prevented from rotating.

5). Other Configurations The twist ball type electronic paper of the present invention may have an arbitrary configuration in addition to the above-described configurations. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the spacer 14, the conductive adhesive 15, the outer periphery sealing agent 16, and the like may be included. By applying an adhesive on the upper and lower surfaces of the spacer and placing the adhesive between the transparent electrode substrate and the back electrode substrate, both substrates can be mechanically fixed. Moreover, a transparent electrode can be electrically connected with the back electrode base material side by arrange | positioning a conductive adhesive between both base materials. Furthermore, by providing an outer periphery sealing agent on the outer periphery of the twist ball layer, it is possible to prevent intrusion of moisture and the like from the outside. These members are not particularly limited as long as they can perform a desired function, and those generally used for twist ball type electronic paper can be used.

6). Twisted ball type electronic paper In the present invention, the transparent electrode base material and the back electrode base material described above are arranged such that the transparent electrode and the pixel electrode are on the twist ball layer side of each base material. With such an arrangement, since the base material is not interposed between the electrode and the twist ball, the twist ball can be driven with a low voltage.

7). Method for Producing Twist Ball Type Electronic Paper The method for producing the twist ball type electronic paper of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as the twist ball type electronic paper having the above configuration can be produced. A known production method can be used as the production method.

8). Application As an application of the twist ball type electronic paper of the present invention, for example, it can be used by being attached to an advertising medium installed in an outdoor environment. Examples of the advertising medium include a signboard, an advertising tower, a building wall surface, and a vehicle.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. The above-described embodiment is an exemplification, and the present invention has substantially the same configuration as the technical idea described in the claims of the present invention, and any device that exhibits the same function and effect is the present invention. It is included in the technical scope of the invention.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to Examples and Comparative Examples.

[Example]
A glass epoxy substrate having a thickness of 1 mm is used as a back substrate, a pixel electrode which is a copper layer having a thickness of 18 μm on one surface of the back substrate, and a film thickness of 18 μm on the other surface of the back substrate. A wiring electrode that is a copper layer, a through hole having a diameter of 200 μm that penetrates the back substrate in the film thickness direction, and a connection layer that is a copper plating layer that connects the pixel electrode and the wiring electrode. A back electrode substrate was obtained. An epoxy resin solder resist film having a thickness of 30 μm was formed as a pixel electrode side insulating layer on the surface of the back electrode base material on the pixel electrode side by screen printing. Further, a glass substrate having a thickness of 0.7 mm was used as a transparent substrate, and an ITO film having a thickness of 30 nm was formed as a transparent electrode on the transparent substrate by a sputtering method to obtain a transparent electrode substrate. A twist ball type electronic paper was produced by sandwiching the twist ball layer containing the swollen black and white particles between the transparent electrode substrate and the back electrode substrate, and sealing the outer periphery with an outer periphery sealing material.

[Comparative example]
A twist ball type electronic paper was produced in the same manner as in the above example except that the pixel electrode side insulating layer was not formed on the back electrode substrate.

[Evaluation]
A voltage is applied to the twisted ball type electronic paper produced in the examples and comparative examples so that the white side of the twisted ball is directed to the transparent electrode side, and when the white display is completed, the voltage is The application was stopped, and the change in reflectance over time during white display was measured. The reflectance during white display was measured in a SCE (regular reflected light removal) mode using a spectrocolorimeter (CM-700d) manufactured by Konica Minolta. The color system was a Yxy coordinate system, and this Y value was adopted as the reflectance.

  When the reflectance during voltage application was 100, the reflectance after 24 hours of the twisted ball electronic paper produced in the example was 98. In addition, the twist ball type electronic paper produced in the example maintained a reflectivity of 90 even after 7 days. On the other hand, the reflectance after 24 hours of the twist ball type electronic paper produced in the comparative example was 65. From the results of the above examples and comparative examples, when the twisted ball type electronic paper has the pixel electrode side insulating layer, the reflectance is maintained high even after 7 days from the application of the voltage, and the display is maintained. It turns out that the nature is high.

  In addition, with respect to the twisting ball type electronic paper produced in the above examples and comparative examples, after 24 hours had elapsed from the production, a voltage was applied to the electrode to confirm the operating state of the twisting ball. The twist ball type electronic paper produced in the examples was able to perform a good display as it was immediately after production. On the other hand, in the twist ball type electronic paper produced in the comparative example, a region where the twist ball does not rotate occurred in a region having a radius of about 20 mm with the center of the through hole provided in the back substrate as a base point. This is because in the comparative example, since the pixel electrode side insulating layer is not formed on the back electrode base material, the solvent leaks from the through hole, and the twist ball is not smoothly rotated.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Transparent base material 2 ... Transparent electrode 3 ... Transparent electrode base material 4 ... Back surface base material 5 ... Pixel electrode 6 ... Wiring electrode 7 ... Back electrode base material 8 ... Swelling layer 9 ... Twist ball 10 ... Twist ball layer 11 ... Through Hole 12 ... Pixel electrode side insulating layer 13 ... Transparent electrode side insulating layer 100 ... Twisted ball type electronic paper

Claims (2)

A transparent electrode substrate having a transparent substrate and a transparent electrode disposed on the transparent substrate;
A back electrode substrate having a back substrate, a pixel electrode disposed on one surface of the back substrate, and a wiring electrode disposed on the other surface of the back substrate;
A twist ball layer, disposed between the transparent electrode substrate and the back electrode substrate, having a solvent, a swelling layer swollen by the solvent, and a twist ball dispersed in the swelling layer;
A twisting ball type electronic paper having
The transparent electrode is disposed on the twist ball layer side of the transparent substrate,
The pixel electrode is disposed on the twisting ball layer side of the back substrate,
The pixel electrode and the wiring electrode are connected via a through hole provided in the back substrate,
A twist ball type electronic paper, wherein a pixel electrode side insulating layer is disposed between the back substrate and the twist ball layer so as to cover the pixel electrode and the through hole.   2. The twist ball type electronic paper according to claim 1, wherein a transparent electrode side insulating layer is disposed between the transparent electrode and the twist ball layer.