Nissan Motor Company Limited

Central Glass Company, Limited

Research Development Corporation of Japan

Masazumi Ishikawa

Yasuhiko Ohsawa

Mikio Kawai

Hiroshi Inaba

Kiyoshi Nakase

Harutoshi Miyagi

Yasuyuki Murofushi

Katsunori Aoki

Hiroshi Takao

Takeshi Miyamoto

Hiroaki Misawa

Yukitoshi Yanagida

Noboru Kitamura

Yasuhiko Osawa

Junichi Takimoto

Teruko Yoshimoto

Takao Kase

Keishi Negita

The electrically controlled force transmitting apparatus includes a drive member having an electrically conductive surface and a driven member having an electrically conductive surface, which are arranged to be opposed to each other with a small space therebetween, a fibrous member provided in the space between the opposed electrically conductive surfaces of the drive and driven members, and a voltage supply source connected across the electrically conductive surfaces, whereby by applying a voltage across the opposed surfaces, there is induced a shear stress and a force is transmitted from the drive member to the driven member. The space in which the fibrous member is arranged is preferably filled with an electrically insulating fluid medium.

Electrically controlled force transmitting method and electrically

A method for forming a polymer particle is provided which involved irradiating a polymer solution with a laser beam. The polymer particle is formed at the focal area of the beam. The particle is reversible and disappears upon discontinuing the irradiation. Irreversible particles can be formed by including a reactive monomer in the solution. The particles are trapped by the beam and may be moved for processing and modification by moving the laser beam.

Method for forming and denaturing particles

The invention relates to an electrochromic (EC) device having oppositely arranged two EC electrode layers. The first EC electrode layer uses Prussian blue, osmium purple or ruthenium purple and accordingly takes on a characteristic color by electrochemical oxidation, and the second EC electrode layer uses a transition metal oxide which takes on a characteristic color by electrochemical reduction, such as WO.sub.3. The space between the two EC electrode layers is filled with an electrolyte solution. When an EC device of this type is left in the bleached state for some period of time and then driven for coloration, the density of coloration is insufficient because of a decrease in the quantity of electricity in the oxidizing and coloring reaction of the first EC electrode layer. The invention solves this problem by using, as the electrolyte solution, a solution of a lithium salt and a sodium salt in an organic solvent prepared such that Na.sup.+ ion amounts to 3-30 mol % of the total of Li.sup.+ ion and Na.sup.+ ion.

Electrochromic device with an electrolyte comprising a lithium salt and

In an electrochromic (EC) display device having oppositely arranged two EC electrode layers, two kinds of EC materials each of which takes on a characteristic color by electrochemical oxidation, or by electrochemical reduction, are used in the two EC electrode layers, respectively, on condition that the characteristic color of one EC material differs from the color of the other EC material. For example, Prussian blue which colors in blue by oxidation and polytriphenylamine which colors in bronze by oxidation are used in combination. An alternative example is using a combination of WO.sub.3 which colors in blue by reduction and V.sub.2 O.sub.5 which colors in green by reduction. Since electrochemical oxidation of one EC electrode layer is usually accompanied by reduction of the opposite EC electrode layer, this EC device can be operated so as to selectively and alternately exhibit at least two different colors aside from colorless transparency.

Electrochromic display device capable of display in plural colors

The invention relates to a nonglaring mirror which is an electrochromic (EC) device in principle. The mirror comprises a transparent front substrate provided with a transparent first electrode layer, a back substrate provided with a second electrode layer opposite to the first electrode layer, first and second EC layers formed on the first and second electrode layers, respectively, an electrolyte liquid which fills up the space between the two substrates and reflecting means for providing a reflective surface to the second substrate. The material of the first EC layer is an organic polymer which is colorless or very pale in color in its electrochemically reduced state and undergoes electrochemical oxidation in two stages to assume a characteristic color in the first-stage oxidized state and another color in the second-stage oxidized state, and intermediate colors in intermediately oxidized states. It is very favorable to use a polymer made up of repeating structural units of N,N,N',N'-tetraphenyl-p-phenylenediamine. The second EC layer is usually formed of a transition metal oxide, e.g. WO.sub.3, which takes on color in its electrochemically reduced state.

Electrochromic variable color tone nonglaring mirror

The disclosure relates to a novel polymer which is made up of repeating units of N,N,N'N'-tetrapheny-p-phenylenediamine. This polymer is thermoplastic and is soluble in industrially usable organic solvents. The polymer acquires high conductivity by doping with an electron acceptor. The polymer becomes insoluble in organic solvents when it is once doped with an electron acceptor and then dedoped, so that the polymer can be used as an active electrode material in electrolytic devices using an organic solvent. The polymer has electrochromic properties and undergoes two-stage oxidation and two-stage reduction to assume three differently stable states. The polymer exhibits pale yellow color in its reduced state, green color in the first-stage oxidized state and dark blue color in the second-stage oxidized state.

Electrochromic polymer comprising

Disclosed is a nonglaring mirror which is an electrochromic device in principle. The mirror comprises a transparent front substrate laid with a transparent first electrode film, a back substrate laid with a second electrode film which is opposite and spaced from the first electrode film, first and second electrochromic layers formed on the first and second electrode films, respectively, and an electrolyte liquid which fills up the space between the two substrates. A reflecting surface is provided by using a transparent sheet as the back substrate and coating the rear surface of the back substrate with a reflecting metal film, or by using a reflecting metal film as the second electrode film. One of the first and second electrochromic layers is formed of a polymer of a conjugated compound, such as substituted or unsubstituted triphenylamine, and the other is formed of a transition metal oxide such as WO.sub.3. In the initial state both the first and second electrochromic layers are colorless and transparent. For coloration, the conjugated polymer layer is oxidized and the transition metal oxide layer is reduced. In the colored state the reflectance of the mirror becomes 7-15% and is controllable.

Electrochromic nonglaring mirror

A novel polymer of triphenylamine, which may be a homopolymer of 4,4',4'-triphenylamine units, a copolymer of 4,4',4'-triphenylamine units and 1,4-benzene units or a homopolymer of 4,4'-(4'-unsubstituted or 4'-alkyl or alkoxyl) triphenylamine. This polymer is prepared by first carrying out Grignard reaction between a halogenotriphenylamine and metallic magnesium and then polymerizing the obtained Grignard reagent in a nonreactive organic solvent by using a nickel compound catalyst. This polymer acquires high conductivity by doping with an electron accepting dopant, and the conductivity is stable in the atmosphere. This polymer is useful as an electrode material in a device using a liquid electrolyte and is advantageous in being stable to repetition of electrochemical oxidation and reduction.

Growing community of inventors

Yokosuka, Japan

Masazumi Ishikawa