E Ink Corporation

Craig Alan Breen

Jay William Anseth

Richard J Paolini, Jr

Peter Carsten Bailey Widger

Stephen J Telfer

Stephen Bull

Mark Benjamin Romanowsky

Jillian Smith

Brandon Ian MacDonald

George G Harris

Wesley Viola

Jr Richard J Paolini

Richard J Paolini

A variable transmission film may include an electrophoretic medium having a plurality of capsules and a binder, each capsule containing a plurality of electrically charged particles and a fluid, the charged particles being movable by application of an electric field and being capable of being switched between an open state and a closed state. The film may include at least one of a binder containing fish gelatin and a polyanion; a binder containing one or more tinting agents; capsules containing charge control agents, such as an oligoamine-terminated polyolefin and a branched chain fatty acid comprising at least 8 carbon atoms; a selection of capsules in which at least 60% have a diameter between 50 μm and 90 μm and at least 15% have a diameter between 20 μm and 49 μm; a tinted adhesive layer; and a fluid selected from one or more nonconjugated olefinic hydrocarbons.

Method of forming an electro-optic medium

An electrophoretic medium comprises a plurality of core-shell particles and a non-polar fluid. The core-shell particles comprise an organic pigment particles core and a shell comprising a metal oxide layer and a silane layer. The metal oxide layer may have a thickness of 0.4 to 2 nm. It may be formed using a fluidized bed reactor by inserting the organic pigment into the reactor as a powder bed, contacting the powder bed with a gaseous stream comprising a metal oxide precursor and an inert gas, and contacting the powder bed with a gaseous stream of a reagent and an inert gas. The silane layer is formed from a silane compound comprising a first functional group, wherein the first functional group reacts with the metal oxide.

Electrophoretic core-shell particles having an organic pigment core and a shell with a thin metal oxide layer and a silane layer

A variable transmission film may include an electrophoretic medium having a plurality of capsules and a binder, each capsule containing a plurality of electrically charged particles and a fluid, the charged particles being movable by application of an electric field and being capable of being switched between an open state and a closed state. The film may include at least one of a binder containing fish gelatin and a polyanion; a binder containing one or more tinting agents; capsules containing charge control agents, such as an oligoamine-terminated polyolefin and a branched chain fatty acid comprising at least 8 carbon atoms; a selection of capsules in which at least 60% have a diameter between 50 &#x3bc;m and 90 &#x3bc;m and at least 15% have a diameter between 20 &#x3bc;m and 49 &#x3bc;m; a tinted adhesive layer; and a fluid selected from one or more nonconjugated olefinic hydrocarbons.

A method of driving a variable transmission film is provided and a variable transmission device including the film and a controller configured to drive the film. The film may include a layer of electrophoretic material and at least one electrode, the electrophoretic material including a fluid containing a plurality of charged particles capable of moving through the fluid upon application of an electric field by the at least one electrode. The method may include applying a first voltage waveform to the film at an initial optical state and applying a second voltage waveform having a lower frequency and shorter pulse duration than the first voltage waveform to switch the film to a final optical state, wherein the film has a higher percent transmission at the initial optical state than the final optical state.

Driving methods for variable transmission electro-phoretic media

A variable opacity material is provided that may be in the form of a mixture, such as an emulsion that contains a discontinuous aqueous polymeric solution having an LCST of 0 to 100&#xb0; C. and a continuous phase containing a hydrophobic polymer, such as a polysiloxane. One or more salts, such as lithium bromide and sodium chloride, may be added to the aqueous solution to lower the LCST of the aqueous solution and to raise the refractive index of the aqueous polymeric solution to substantially match the refractive index of the hydrophobic polymer. The variable opacity materials may be applied in the form of a film to various substrates, such as glass.

Passive thermally driven variable opacity materials

An electro-optic medium exhibiting reduced haze and having other improved properties may be obtained by including a binder containing fish gelatin and acacia. The electro-optic medium may include a plurality of capsules in a binder, each capsule containing a plurality of electrically charged particles and a fluid, the charged particles being movable by application of an electric field.

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Arlington, MA, United States of America

Craig Alan Breen