Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, Vol.93, No.8, 1329-1337, 2009
Electrochromic device with a redox electrolyte
Electrochromic glazing allows the solar energy gain and daylighting in buildings and cars to be controlled. Here we report new results about a special type of electrochromic device. It consists of an electrochromic layer (WO(3)) on a transparent electrode, an electrolyte containing Li(+) cations and a redox system (I(-)/I(3)(-)), and a catalyst (Pt) on a second transparent electrode. The electrolyte is based on gelled ionic liquids. The change in the transmittance is extremely high: the visible (solar) transmittance can be switched between 63% (46%) and 1.2% (0.7%). A segmented 30 x 30 cm(2) sample with conductor paths reduces the transmittance by a factor of 10 in 8 s. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.