Synthesis and Prototyping of Coloured Electrochromic Inks for Displays Applications

Lead Research Organisation: CARDIFF UNIVERSITY
Department Name: Chemistry

Abstract

The scientific and technological aim of this project is to develop hybrid coloured EC-inks to engineer interactive displays to be integrated in practical, non-obstructive machine human interfaces. By the integration of these materials into displays, it is intended to create low-power interactive interfaces that, connecting human to the surroundings environment, could simplify our everyday life, bringing a great asset to the cities of tomorrow. Further, the access to a whole palette of colours will provide artists and designers the tools to develop new appealing ways to conceive such human/environment interfaces in the most pleasant ways. The inks will target colours such as purple, pink or orange; also, they will be ideally characterised by long lifetime (more than 10K cycles), and decreased switching time (less than 5 s for a prototype of 150x150 cm size).The inks will composed by an electrochromic organic component (polythiophenes polymer or small heteroatom-doped polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and conductive carbon nanostructures (carbon nanotubes, carbon fibres or graphene), and to build display prototypes featuring: (i) new tailored colours combined to greener printing solvents and (ii) decreased response time and increased lifetime

Publications

10 25 50
 
Description A new electrochromic polymer has been made which shows promise for a variety of applications. In the area of electrochromism, one of the most sought after colour changes is from transparent/colourless to black. The reason for this is black, or absorption across the entire visible light spectrum, can be applied in many different areas. One of these is smart windows, which have been shown to reduce the air condition or heating costs of buildings through regulating the amount of sunlight which enters the building. A second application is to displays, having this colourless to black transition can offer the best contrast of an electrochromic display possible. This new polymer is believed to possess this colour transition and is being fully evaluated currently, with small prototype devices being made to characterise it fully.
Exploitation Route The work produced during this award has been done in collaboration with experts in electrochromism and electrochromic device manufacture. It is hoped that they can take the new materials forward into their manufacturing process, thus producing devices that are utilised all over the world containing the new electrochromic materials.
Sectors Agriculture, Food and Drink,Chemicals,Electronics,Energy,Environment
 
Description Prototype electrochromic device building and analysis in collaboration with the University of Vienna 
Organisation University of Vienna
Country Austria 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution New electrochromic materials have been synthesised in Cardiff and although we have performed fundamental characterisation of the materials such as: NMR, IR, melting points, UV, spectroelectrochemical analysis in solution, cyclic voltammetry in solution; I am limited with electrochromic specific characterisation.
Collaborator Contribution The partners in Vienna have used the new electrochromic materials to build prototype electrochromic devices and characterise the materials within the device, which is extremely important for possible application of these materials to industry. The partners also have access to a GPC with the correct standards for calculating the average molecular weight of the polymeric electrochromic materials as well as the polydispersity, this will be done in the near future.
Impact Collaboration is ongoing. The collaboration is mainly with other chemists.
Start Year 2020