E-Paper Displays

10Electrochromic Display

Norihisa Kobayashi

Group on Advanced Imaging Materials and Systems (G‐AIMS), Graduate School of Engineering, Chiba University, JAPAN

10.1 Introduction

Electrochromic displays (ECDs) have been the subject of extensive research due to their excellent potential for application in novel paper‐like display devices, so‐called “e‐paper”. The EC device was first reported in the paper titled “A novel electrophotographic system” concerning to “display” in 1969, and anniversary 50 years have passed since then. Systematic and strategic research on EC materials and devices has increased since the 1980s. EC materials exhibiting clear color changes from colorless to the three primary colors (red, green, and blue, or cyan, magenta, and yellow) are required for full‐color e‐paper displaying devices. Recently, studies of electrochromism (EC) to realize full‐color reflective display with flexibility, bendability, and wearability are motivated by this concept and requirements. Papers reported are extensively increasing worldwide. This chapter is a brief review of electrochromic materials and displays toward full‐color reflective display and e‐paper. This chapter also includes the mechanism, characteristics, and recent progress of various EC materials and future applications in addition to display to clarify the advantages of ECDs.

Phenomena in which reversible color tone changes are induced by a stimulus are referred to as “chromism,” and have been long known. In recent ...