University of Florida Research Foundation Inc

Georgia Tech Research Corporation

Agfa-gevaert

International Technology Center

John Robert Reynolds

Andrew Gabriel Rinzler

Pierre Marc Beaujuge

Chad Martin Amb

Franky So

Ryan Michael Walczak

Aubrey Lynn Dyer

Justin Adam Kerszulis

Stefan Ellinger

Kirk S Schanze

Rajib Kumar Das

Pooja Wadhwa

Svetlana V Vasilyeva

Andrew M Spring

Jiangeng Xue

Bert Groenendaal

Paul Howard Holloway

Bo Liu

James M Boncella

Mitchell Austin McCarthy

Emily Thompson

Irina Schwendeman

Avni A Argun

Kyukwan Zong

Anna M Osterholm

Frank Antonio Arroyave-Mondragon

Dylan Thomas Christiansen

Philippe Schottland

Gary Elder McGuire

Ying Shirley Meng

Olga Aleksandrovna Shenderova

Karl Robert Zawoy

Jianguo Mei

Carleton L Gaupp

James Deininger

Song Chen

James F Ponder, Jr

Kangli Cao

Dwanleen E Shen

Rayford H Bulloch

Jegadesan Subbiah

Luis Madrigal

Pierre-Henri Aubert

Gursel Sonmez

Michael R Craig

Pierre Henri Aubert

Mathieu Berard

Pengjie Shi

Ece Unur

Benjamin Scott Harrison

Tim Foley

Sriram Ramakrishnan

Leandro Estrada

Benjamin Dennis Reeves

John Sigure Cowart, Ii

Cephas Small

Bert c/o Agfa-Gevaert Groenendaal

John Sigure Ii Cowart

Pierre H Aubert

Irina Schwendemann

Stefan Martin Ellinger

James F Ponder Jr

Frank Antonio Arroyave-Mon-Dragon

A variety of anodically-coloring electrochromic molecules are provided. In particular, anodically-coloring electrochromic molecules and devices are provided that allow for tuning the absorption bands in the cation state across the visible spectrum while demonstrating little to no coloring or visible absorption in the neutral state, resulting in high-contrast devices. Electrochromic devices are also provided, as well as methods of making the devices and molecules, and methods of use thereof.

Anodically coloring electrochromic molecules, materials, and devices, and methods of making and use thereof

Embodiments of the invention are directed to yellow/orange-to-transmissive conjugated polymers, a method to prepare the yellow/orange conjugated polymers, and an electrochromic and/or electroluminescent device comprising the neutral state yellow/orange conjugated polymers as one of a plurality of primary subtractive colored conjugated polymers. The yellow/orange conjugated polymers show enhanced redox stability and can have a (DAr)structure with a dioxyheterocycle repeating unit or a (DAr)structure with a dioxythiophene monomer that has at least one substituted carbon &#x3b1; to an oxygen of the monomer; and where the one to three Ar groups have at least one carbon &#x3b1; to the carbon attached to a D unit substituted that has at least 5 atoms in the substituent. The yellow/orange conjugated polymers show enhanced redox stability. The yellow/orange conjugated polymers are prepared by cross-condensation reactions.

High-gap yellow and orange electrochromic polymers

Conjugated copolymers are provided that can be processed in a variety of solvents and can be rendered solvent-resistant when needed. The copolymers can be solution cast from nonpolar, polar, and aqueous solvents. After casting a polymer layer, the polymer can be rendered solvent resistant, thereby providing for improved stability and multi-layer processing and in electrochromic devices where the polymer layer is in contact with a nonpolar or polar solvent or electrolyte. Methods of making the copolymers are also provided, as well as methods of solution casting the polymers from a variety of nonpolar organic, polar, and aqueous solvents. Electrochromic devices are demonstrated having electrode(s) containing these polymers, including a variety of supercapacitor devices capable of using organic, biological, and aqueous electrolytes. Some of these electrodes demonstrate superfast switching and large power densities, showing promise for applications in supercapacitor batteries.

Processable polymers and methods of making and using thereof

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.

Broadly absorbing electrochromic polymers

Yellow electrochromic polymers (ECPs) are prepared that display a yellow neutral state and a highly transmissive oxidized state. The ECPs are copolymers where a dyad of dioxyhetereocyclic repeating unis alternate with a monad of an aromatic repeating unit. An alternate yellow ECP has an oxidation potential of 450 mV or less and is an alternating copolymer of an acyclic dioxythiophene (AcDOT) or a propylene dioxythiophene (ProDOT) with an aromatic repeating unit that has an electron donating substituent. The yellow ECPs can be processed from solution for electrochromic devices.

Yellow to transmissive electrochromic polymers

Photovoltaic cells, methods of fabricating photovoltaic cells, and methods of using photovoltaic cells to capture light energy are provided. A photovoltaic cell can include an electron transporting layer, a photoactive layer, and a hole transporting layer. The electron transporting layer can be ultraviolet ozone treated. The photovoltaic cell can have an inverted configuration.

Photovoltaic cell enhancement through UVO treatment

An embodiment of the invention is an air cathode having a porous membrane with at least one hydrophobic surface that contacts a conductive catalytic film that comprises single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) where the nanotubes are in intimate electrical contact. The conductive film can include fullerenes, metals, metal alloys, metal oxides, or electroactive polymers in addition to the SWNTs. In other embodiments of the invention the air cathode is a component of a metal-air battery or a fuel cell.

Single wall carbon nanotube based air cathodes

An improved contrast electrochromic polymers(ECP), is a copolymer having donor sequences with a normal distribution of at least one solubilizing donor repeating unit selected from substituted propylenedioxythiophene units (ProDOT) and/or substituted acyclic dioxythiophene units (AcDOT) and a plurality of monodispersed trimer sequences consisting of an acceptor unit bonded between two ethylenedioxythiophene units (EDOT), two methylenedioxythiophene units (MDOT), or a fused DAD trimer, where the monodispersed trimer sequence separates two of the donor sequences. One useful monodispersed trimer sequence is EDOT-BTD-EDOT (EBE). The donor sequences can have ProDOT units bound to the monodispersed trimer sequence. The donor sequence can have ProDOT units alternating with AcDOT units. Useful ECPs can have the structure: Pro-Pro/EBE; Ac-Ac/EBE; or Pro-Ac/EBEwhere x is a fraction between 0.5 and 0.9.

Donor-acceptor compositions to achieve high contrast broadly absorbing electrochromic polymers

A method for preparing a conjugated polymer involves a DHAP polymerization of a 3,4-dioxythiophene, 3,4-dioxyfuran, or 3,4-dioxypyrrole and, optionally, at least one second conjugated monomer in the presence of a Pd or Ni comprising catalyst, an aprotic solvent, a carboxylic acid at a temperature in excess of 120&#xb0; C. At least one of the monomers is substituted with hydrogen reactive functionalities and at least one of the monomers is substituted with a Cl, Br, and/or I. The polymerization can be carried out at temperature of 140&#xb0; C. or more, and the DHAP polymerization can be carried out without a phosphine ligand or a phase transfer agent. The resulting polymer can display dispersity less than 2 and have a degree of polymerization in excess of 10.

Method for preparing dioxyheterocycle-based electrochromic polymers

A degradable polymeric nanotube (NT) dispersant comprises a multiplicity of NT associative groups that are connected to a polymer backbone by a linking group where there are cleavable groups within the polymer backbone and/or the linking groups such that on a directed change of conditions, bond breaking of the cleavable groups results in residues from the degradable polymeric NT dispersant in a manner where the associative groups are uncoupled from other associative groups, rendering the associative groups monomelic in nature. The degradable polymeric nanotube (NT) dispersant can be combined with carbon NTs to form a NT dispersion that can be deposited to form a NT film, or other structure, by air brushing, electrostatic spraying, ultrasonic spraying, ink-jet printing, roll-to-roll coating, or dip coating. The deposition can render a NT film that is of a uniform thickness or is patterned with various thicknesses. Upon deposition of the film, the degradable polymeric nanotube (NT) dispersant can be cleaved and the cleavage residues removed from the film to yield a film where contact between NTs is unencumbered by dispersants, resulting in highly conductive NT films.

Nanotube dispersants and dispersant free nanotube films therefrom

An electrochromic cell includes a minimally color changing polymer (MCCP) and a non-color changing polymer (NCCP), where the neutral state or the oxidized state is highly transmissive in the NIR and the oxidized state or the neutral state, respectively, is significantly less transmissive in the NIR. An electrochromic device (ECD) can include the electrochromic cell, or a combination of electrochromic cells. The ECD can be part of a window or a laminate for a window to permit the control of IR transmittance through the window.

Infrared-modulating electroactive devices with visible region transparency

An highly porous electrically conducting film that includes a plurality of carbon nanotubes, nanowires or a combination of both. The highly porous electrically conducting film exhibits an electrical resistivity of less than 0.1 &#x3a9;&#xb7;cm at 25 C and a density of between 0.05 and 0.70 g/cm. The film can exhibit a density between 0.50 and 0.85 g/cmand an electrical resistivity of less than 6&#xd7;10&#x3a9;&#xb7;cm at 25 C. Also included is a method of forming these highly porous electrically conducting films by forming a composite film using carbon nanotubes or nanowires and sacrificial nanoparticles or microparticles. At least a portion of the nanoparticles or microparticles are then removed from the composite film to form the highly porous electrically conducting film.

Highly accessible, nanotube electrodes for large surface area contact applications

Embodiments of the invention are directed to a method of forming a film of an insoluble conjugated polymer (CP) by deposition of an ionic CP from aqueous solution and converting the ionic CP to the insoluble CP. The ionic CP can be the salt of a carboxylic acid, sulfonic acid, phosphonic acid, boronic acid, amine, imine, phosphine, thioether, or complexed bidentate or polydentate ligand. The insoluble CP film can be used with an aqueous electrolyte solution for use as: an electrochromic film; charge injection layer for a solar cell, LED, and FET; conventional paints; supercapacitor; battery; electronic paper; anti-static coating; transparent conductor; sensors; anti-microbial coating; adhesive; RFID; or memory system.

Processing method for water soluble polymeric materials

Growing community of inventors

Gainesville, FL, United States of America

John Robert Reynolds