Ford Motor Company Limited

Hulya Demiryont

Kenneth Edward Nietering

Roman Surowiec

Charles J Amberger

Ralph T Nichols

A solar control plastic glazing, comprising a plastic matrix having a plurality of metal particles homogeneously dispersed therein, is prepared by depositing a thin metal film onto the surface of a plastic sheet, heating the plastic sheet above its 'softening temperature, deforming the sheet to cause the metal film to disintegrate into metal particles, and mixing the metal particles and plastic to form a composite.

Plastic composite glazings

This specification discloses reduced tungsten oxide electrochromic material, useful in an electrochromic device, having excellent electrochromic properties. The oxidation number of the tungsten of the material as deposited on a support of the device in a stable bleached condition is, on average, between +5.99 and +5.90. The material may be made by reducing fully oxidized tungsten oxide by a reducing agent. The reducing agent may be a metal or a metal oxide.

Electrochromic material and method of making an electrochromic material

An anti-reflective coating employing Si.sub.1-x H.sub.x as a high refractive index material in a film pair together with SiO.sub.2 as a low refractive index material is found to be substantially transparent to visible light and to provide good anti-reflectance where the Si.sub.1-x H.sub.x film is ultra-thin, preferably less than about 80 Angstroms, and the thickness of the SiO.sub.2 film is matched to that of the Si.sub.1-x H.sub.x film. Laminated glazing units having such anti-reflective film can be used, for example, even in applications requiring high transmittance of visible light, such as motor vehicle windshields, in view of the substantial transparency of the coating.

Anti-reflective transparent coating

An anti-reflective coating employing a gradient layer of Si.sub.1-x Q.sub.x O.sub.y wherein Q is H, for which x has a value from zero to 0.5, or N, for which x has a value from zero to 0.58, and the value of y varies with depth in the coating, increasing from zero closest the substrate to 2. In certain preferred embodiments the anti-reflective coating is substantially transparent to visible light and yet provides good anti-reflectance. Laminated glazing units having such anti-reflective coatings can be used, for example, in applications requiring high transmittance of visible light, such as motor vehicle windshields.

Anti-reflective transparent coating with gradient zone

An anti-reflective coating employing silicon as a high refractive index material in a film pair together with silicon dioxide as a low refractive index material is found to be substantially transparent to visible light and to provide good anti-reflectance where the silicon film is ultra-thin, preferably less than about 50 Angstroms and the thickness of the silicon dioxide film is matched to that of the silicon film. Laminated glazing units having such anti-reflective film can be used, for example, even in applications requiring high transmittance of visible light, such as motor vehicle windshields, in view of the substantial transparency of the coating.

Method of making transparent anti-reflective coating

A method of gradationally infusing a graded thickness permeable medium with a uniform concentration of a material is disclosed. A method of gradationally infusing a uniform thickness permeable medium with a gradational concentration of material is also disclosed. The method includes placing the material in a container, and inserting and removing the permeable medium in the container so that the permeable medium includes either a gradational or uniform concentration of the material therein dependent upon the thickness of the medium. The method disclosed also allows uniform thickness or graded thickness electrochromic materials to be gradationally infused with an ion source to provide a color gradient within an electrochromic device. An electrochromic device made according to this method is also disclosed.

Electrochromic device with color gradient and method of making the device

This specification discloses vanadium oxide reduced by a codeposited reducing agent as an electrochromic material. The reducing agent may be a metal or a nonstoichiometric metal oxide. Preferred metals disclosed are vanadium and gold. Preferred metal oxides disclosed are nonstoichiometric lead oxide and nonstoichiometric bismuth oxide. The specification also discloses a method of making a nonelectrochromic, fully oxidized vanadium oxide [V.sub.2 O.sub.5 ] into an electrochromic material. The method includes the step of codepositing the fully oxidized vanadium oxide on a support for an electrochromic device along with a material which reduces the fully oxidized vanadium oxide to a less than fully oxidized state in which the reduced vanadium oxide is electrochromic.

Method of making an electrochromic material and new electrochromic

A electromagnetic radiation modulating laminate comprises consecutively a conductive substrate, a persistent first metal layer, a fast ion conductor layer containing cations of a second metal, a transition metal compound ion storage layer, and an electrode. The transmission and reflection of electromagnetic radiation is modulated by the reversible dissolution and re-deposition of at least a part of the persistent first metal layer into and out from the fast ion conductor layer, upon the application of a reversible electrical potential across the conductive substrate and the electrode.

Electromagnetic radiation modulating device

Transparent anti-reflective coating

This invention is directed to an electrochromic device which comprises a colorable electrochromic matrix layer consisting essentially of certain metal salts and an ion conduction enhancer in an ion conductive material.

Electrochromic devices comprising metal salts in an ion conductive

This specification teaches a method for maintaining the electrochromic activity of an electrochromic material positioned between electrodes of an electrochromic device. The method disclosed for maintaining the electrochromic activity of the electrochromic material comprises applying a voltage across the electrodes of such level so to maintain an absolute single polarity charge abundance in the electrochromic material sufficient to keep it in an electrochromic state.

Method for maintaining the electrochromic activity of an electrochromic

This invention is directed to a method for patterning colorable areas of an electrochromic device. The device comprises two substrates and therebetween: one electrode layer; an electrochromic layer; an insulator material which is (i) non-ionically conductive and (ii) electronically insulating; a solid ion conductive material; and another electrode layer, at least one of the one electrode layer and the other electrode layer being transparent and each electrode layer being in contact with a respective one of the substrates. The ion conductive layer is adapted to communicate ions to and from the electrochromic layer upon application of a voltage across the electrode layes. The method comprises providing areas of the surface of the electrochromic layer which are not to be colorable during operation of the device in contact with the insulator material and not in contact with the ion conductive material, and providing the colorable areas of the surface of the electrochromic layer, which are to be colored upon application of a voltage across the electrode layers, in contact with the ion conductive material. Another aspect of this invention is directed to an electrochromic device patterened according to the method described above.

Patterning of insulator on electrochromic material as determinant for

This invention is directed to electrochromic devices having a color intensity gradient. Specifically the electrochromic device comprises two substrates and therebetween: one electrode layer; an electrochromic layer; an ion conductive material; and another electrode layer in that order. At least one of the electrode layers is transparent and each electrode layer is in contact with a respective one of the substrates. The ion conductive layer is adapted to communicate ions to and from the electrochromic material upon the application of a voltage across the electrode layers. The electrochromic material has a continuously decreasing thickness gradient in at least one region when measured normal to the plane of an electrode layer.

Electrochromic devices having a gradient of color intensities

This invention teaches an electrochromic device in which an electrochromic layer is positioned between two electrodes. The electrochromic layer comprises an inorganic based bulk material supporting electrochromic particles and ion producing particles in fixed but generally distributed positions therewithin. The bulk material permits migration of ions produced by the ion producing particles to and from the electrochromic particles upon change in voltage between the first and second electrodes. The bulk material also prohibits the passage of electrons therethrough when a voltage is applied between the first electrode and the second electrode, whereby an electric field is built up between the first and second electrodes which causes migration of the ions. A preferred method of making a material which can form an electrochromic layer is also disclosed.

Method of making an electrochromic layer and new electrochromic device

This invention teaches uncolored copper oxide as a new electrochromic material. An electrochromic device is constructed from this material by forming either an anodic electrochromic device or a cathodic electrochromic device. A fast ion conductor is also provided which is capable of generating ions when an electric field is applied thereto. The fast ion conductor also permits ion movement therethrough while prohibiting electron movement therethrough. The fast ion conductor and the uncolored copper oxide are arranged between an anode and a cathode to form an electrochromic device. Preferably, the copper oxide is in a layer next to one of the electrodes. If the copper oxide layer is next to the cathode, the device is a cathodic device which can generate a blue color. If the copper oxide layer is next to the anode, the device is an anodic device and can be operated to produce either a pink or a green color depending upon the amount of voltage applied between the anode and the cathode.

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Farmington Hills, MI, United States of America

Hulya Demiryont