Electrochromic Li(x)WO(3)/poymer laminate/Li(y)V(2)O(5) device: toward an all-solid-state smart window

We introduce a laminate two-layer approach to electrochromic smart windows. It incorporates two glass panes, each having a two-layer coating, laminated by a transparent adhesive solid polymer electrolyte. Each coating has a transparent conducting base layer (In(2)O(3):S(n)) and a top layer of an ion-insertion compound (based on WO(3) or V(2)O(5)). The layers were made by evaporation or sputtering. Cyclic voltammetry in liquid electrolytes and spectrophotometry were used to characterize the layers. A novel electrolyte was developed: it comprised a methyl methacrylate network incorporating poly(propylene glycol) complexed with lithium perchlorate. Initial optical data are reported for laminated devices having an active electrochromic Li(x)WO(3) layer and a passive Li(y)V(2)O(5) counter electrode.