Sensitization enhancement of solid-state photonic upconversion
AssigneesThe Regents of the University of Colorado, a body corporate, Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC, Colorado School of Mines
InventorsSean Shaheen, Daniel Weingarten, Michael LaCount, Mark T. Lusk, Jao Van de Lagemaat, Garry Rumbles
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Cooperative energy pooling systems based on polymeric acceptors are provided herein. These systems exhibit delayed excitation of the acceptor when excited at sensitizer absorption wavelengths, and displayed CEP occurring on a timescale of tens to hundreds of picoseconds.
Claims25
A method for enhancing upconversion luminescence of a solid phase composition comprising a multi-photon absorbing conjugated polymer and a sensitizer, wherein the conjugated polymer is separated from the sensitizer by an average distance of 5 nm or less, and wherein the molar ratio of the sensitizer to the conjugated polymer is from 1:10 to 1:100, the method comprising:
- irradiating the composition at a wavelength corresponding to the sensitizer absorption thereby generating a plurality of photoexcited sensitizers,
- allowing the plurality of photoexcited sensitizers to simultaneously transfer their energies to a higher-energy state on the conjugated polymer, wherein the emission spectrum of the photoexcited sensitizer at least partially overlaps with the multi-photon absorption spectrum of the conjugated polymer, such that there is resonant coupling between the sensitizer transition dipole and the conjugated polymer multi-photon tensor, and
- detecting luminescence in a spectral region characteristic of the conjugated polymer activated by the photoexcited sensitizers.
(canceled)
(canceled)
13-30. (canceled)
A composition for enhancing upconversion luminescence comprising:
- a solid phase composition comprising multi-photon absorbing conjugated polymer and a sensitizer, wherein the solid phase composition is in the form of a nanofilm or nanoparticles, and wherein the conjugated polymer is separated from the sensitizer by an average distance of 5 nm or less,
- wherein the emission spectrum of the sensitizer at least partially overlaps with the multi-photon absorption spectrum of the conjugated polymer, such that when the sensitizer becomes electronically excited, there is resonant coupling between the sensitizer transition dipole and the conjugated polymer multi-photon tensor, and
- wherein the sensitizer and the multi-photon absorbing conjugated polymer are in a molar ratio from 1:10 to 1:100.
(canceled)
42-46. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.