Development and characterisation of electrochromic devices on polymeric substrates

The development of full solid-state electrochromic (EC) devices on polymeric substrate is underway within a CEC BRITE-EURAM project (Project ''FREDOPS'', BE-4137) carried out by four industries, two universities and two research centers from Belgium, Denmark, France, and Italy. The specific goal of this project is to develop a Fast Response Electrochromic Device On Polymeric Substrate (FREDOPS); in order to satisfy the required range of specifications in terms of fast response, long term performance and high contrast ratio, several systems based on different materials have been tested. The full cells consist of an electrochromic material layer and a counter electrode, inserted between two PET/ITO layers and separated by a polymeric electrolyte. Different types of polymeric electrolytes, counter electrodes and electrochromic layers have been developed, studied and checked. Full devices have been assembled using different combinations. Voltammetric and spectrophotometric measurements have been executed to check the electrochromic behaviour of the developed layers in half and full cells. Comparison of the electrochromic performances of different materials based cells has led to the rejection of several solutions due to poor performance and incompatibilities between layers. Considering that the electrochromic devices are finalised for different uses (window, sunroof,...), some performance specifications for each application are defined. A testing bench for cycling and ageing was developed. The present paper discusses these results in order to indicate the best performance.