Dual‐Mode Switching E‐Paper by Negative Electrorheological Fluid with Reversible Silica Networks

Abstract

Human–machine interaction will be revolutionarily different in the future Internet of Things (IoT) environments. Many displays will be adopted onto electronic devices to enhance human–device communication, even under a very bright sunlight ambience. Thus, power consumption and sunlight visibility are important attributes for this application. Electrophoretic displays (EPDs) have the inherent advantages of ultra‐low power consumption and high sunlight visibility, which are perfectly suitable for IoT applications. The low power consumption resulted from the balance of viscosity, gravity, and other complicated forces involved in the electrophoretic dispersion. This force balance is generally termed “bistability,” meaning the particle‐packing can be stable without external power at black and white image states. However, good bistability implies a slow image updating rate, significantly degrades users’ experience. In this work, a 3D network structure that undergoes disruption and reorganization with the particles’ movement is utilized in the electrophoretic ink dispersion. Dynamic viscosity modulation enables the bistable and fast‐response dual‐working modes. The newly developed design can increase the response speed of EPDs by a factor of 2.38, simultaneously maintaining the bistability. The electronic ink with this reversible network provides a promising solution for the future video‐rate e‐paper displays.