Analysis of Nonaqueous Electrowetting Fluids for Displays

Author

Chevalliot, Stéphanie ; Heikenfeld, Jason ; Clapp, Lisa ; Milarcik, April ; Vilner, Stanislav

Author_Institution

Sch. of Energy, Environ., Biol. & Med. Eng., Cincinnati Univ., Cincinnati, OH, USA

Volume

7

Issue

12

fYear

2011

Firstpage

649

Lastpage

656

Abstract

Water remains the most extensively studied electrowetting fluid, but few reports exist on nonaqueous conducting solvents. Reported herein is a complete analysis of alternate fluids for electrowetting devices and displays. Emphasis is provided on real-world testing parameters, including contact angle response and immiscibility with oil, environmental range, interfacial tension, ionic content and influence on dielectric reliability, compatibility with additives such as soluble dyes or particle dispersions, and cross-diffusion of fluids or solutes. Out of 16 preselected fluids, six exhibited electrowetting performance comparable to the best aqueous:surfactant solutions. Use of the nonaqueous fluids in advanced display devices is also demonstrated.

Keywords

conductive adhesives; contact angle; dielectric properties; display devices; solubility; surface tension; wetting; additives; compatibility; contact angle response; dielectric reliability; electrowetting device; electrowetting display; fluid cross-diffusion; immiscibility; interfacial tension; ionic content; nonaqueous conducting solvent; nonaqueous electrowetting fluid analysis; solute cross-diffusion; Dielectrics; Electrowetting; Fluids; Ions; Reflectivity; Voltage measurement; Electrowetting; fluid; reflective displays;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Display Technology, Journal of

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

1551-319X

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/JDT.2011.2161265

Filename

6052148