Short-circuit memory in electrochromic displays

Abstract

We prove that direct matrix addressing of electrochromic displays is theoretically possible if an appropriate free‐energy barrier for charge transfer across the electrode/electrolyte interface can be introduced. We derive the maximum short‐circuit memory of such an electrochromic cell in terms of its intrinsic response time. For response times ∼10 msec and electrolyte breakdown voltages ∼2 V, the maximum memory is ∼20 min at room temperature. The number of lines that could be sequentially matrix addressed in an electrochromic display matrix, under these conditions, spans the range 10–10⁵, which encompasses any practical size of display matrices.