BROADLY ABSORBING ELECTROCHROMIC POLYMERS

• Main Authors: DYER, Aubrey, Lynn, KERSZULIS, Justin, Adam, REYNOLDS, John, Robert, CRAIG, Michael, R
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 29.03.2017
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CAPACITORS; CAPACITORS, RECTIFIERS, DETECTORS, SWITCHING DEVICES ORLIGHT-SENSITIVE DEVICES, OF THE ELECTROLYTIC TYPE; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON; COMPOSITIONS OF MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS, THE OPTICAL OPERATION OF WHICH ISMODIFIED BY CHANGING THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIUM OF THEDEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF THE INTENSITY,COLOUR, PHASE, POLARISATION OR DIRECTION OF LIGHT, e.g.SWITCHING, GATING, MODULATING OR DEMODULATING; ELECTRICITY; FREQUENCY-CHANGING; MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED OTHERWISE THAN BY REACTIONSONLY INVOLVING UNSATURATED CARBON-TO-CARBON BONDS; METALLURGY; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICS; ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; PHYSICS; TECHNIQUES OR PROCEDURES FOR THE OPERATION THEREOF; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP

Copolymers including dioxythiophene repeating units and no acceptor units allow the formation of electrochromic polymers (ECPs) with vivid neutral state colors and very colorless oxidized states that can be switched rapidly. The dioxythiophene repeating units can included in sequences where all of one type of dioxythiophene is included exclusively as isolated dyads or triads within the copolymer, or the copolymer can be an alternating copolymer with propylenedioxythiophene units. Other non-acceptor units can be included in the copolymers. The copolymers are rendered organic solvent soluble by alkyl substituents on repeating units. The inclusion of sterically encumbered acyclic dioxythiophene (AcDOT) units promotes red color while unsubstituted ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) units promote blue colors, and their respective content can be manipulated to achieve a desired neutral state color. Soluble copolymers comprising at least 50% EDOT repeating units can be used in supercapacitor applications.