Methods and compositions for the upconversion of light

Abstract

The present invention generally relates to composition and methods for upconverting light. In some embodiments, the composition and methods comprise an organic material, a nanocrystal, and a ligand capable of facilitating energy transfer between the nanocrystal and the organic material. In certain embodiments, the nanocrystal has a first excited energy state with an energy greater than a triplet state of the organic material. The organic material, in some embodiments, may be aromatic and/or include one or more pi-conjugated carbon-carbon double bonds. In some cases, incident light may be absorbed by the nanocrystal to produce triplet excitons. The triplet excitons may then transfer from the nanocrystal to the organic material and undergo triplet-triplet annihilation, creating a singlet state of approximately twice the energy of the triplet exciton. In certain embodiments, the singlet state fluoresces, resulting in the formation of a high energy photon.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.