What They Say
Researchers from the University of Sydney claims to have developed a film that can act as a substitute for ITO to reduce the dependence on indium (as well as being cheaper) in electrochromic devices. The material is based on three layers of coating of tungsten oxide and silver that together are less than 100 ?m thick. The materials are deposited by plasma sputtering. The opacity of the material can be changed by varying an applied voltage.
The optimized Ag-WO3/Ag/WO3 structure was transparent (average transmittance = 75.89 ± 0.05% in the wavelength range of 300–700 nm) and electrically conductive (sheet resistance = 23.6 ± 0.8 ?/?).
The group sees applications in smart windows as well as displays.
The research was published in Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells
What We Think
The search for ITO replacements and alternatives has been a long and chequered one. I have known FPD industry pioneers whose businesses targeting flexible applications foundered on the lack of a good flexible alternative.
In digging around on this topic, I spotted a release from CNB company Canatu that announced that it has reached 35?/sq at 90% transmittance that I missed a couple of months ago. The company had changed its emphasis to go more towards automotive touch (as it’s film can be applied to 3D surfaces) but is still interested in talking to display firms interested in its technology. (BR)
