Device for modifying the wavelength range of a spectrum of light

• US 20090290211A1
• Filed: 12/04/2008
• Published: 11/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Balouchev, Stanislav, Nelles, Gabriele, Yakutkin, Vladimir, Miteva, Tzenka
• Granted Patent: US 7,929,200 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/326
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 11/06 containing organic luminescent materials
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2211/1011 Condensed systems
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2211/185 of the platinum group, i.e. Os, Ir, Pt, Ru, Rh or Pd
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/3526 using two-photon emission or absorption processes
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/3532 Arrangements of plural nonlinear devices for generating multi-colour light beams, e.g. arrangements of SHG, SFG, OPO devices for generating RGB light beams
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/055 where light is absorbed and re-emitted at a different wavelength by the optical element directly associated or integrated with the PV cell, e.g. by using luminescent material, fluorescent concentrators or up-conversion arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 30/87 Light-trapping means
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/341 Transition metal complexes, e.g. Ru(II)polypyridine complexes H10K85/331 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/622 containing four rings, e.g. pyrene
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/52 PV systems with concentrators

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for modifying, e.g. narrowing the wavelength range of a spectrum of light.

Claims

1. A device for modifying, e.g. narrowing the wavelength range of a spectrum of light incident on said device, such that light emitted from said device has a modified, e.g. more narrow wavelength range in comparison to said incident light, said device comprising

a medium for photon energy up-conversion comprising at least two components and a matrix in which said at least two components are distributed, wherein a first component is capable of absorbing light at a first wavelength region w≦

λ

1≦

x, which first component acts as a sensitizer in said medium, and wherein a second component is capable of emitting light at a second wavelength region y≦

λ

2≦

z, which second component acts as an emissive component in said medium, wherein λ

2≦

λ

1, and wherein, upon absorption of light by said first component at said first wavelength region λ

1, said emissive component emits light at said second wavelength region λ

2, and wherein said first component and said second component are organic compounds, wherein said first component and said second component are distributed in said matrix which matrix is a solid, a gel or a fluid with viscosity equal or higher than 0.59×

10−

3 Pa·

s, wherein said medium optionally comprises further pairs of sensitizer and emissive components, as defined above, but having different absorption and, optionally, emission wavelength regions,

said device optionally further comprising a light transparent container for containing said medium, or optionally comprising a light transparent substrate for carrying said medium.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said medium comprises at least two pairs of sensitizer and emissive components, respectively, as defined in claim 1, each pair having a defined absorption wavelength region and a defined emission wavelength region, and said pairs of sensitizer and emissive components, respectively, differ from each other in at least their respective absorption wavelength region.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein said medium additionally comprises a further component for photon energy down-shifting or photon energy down-conversion, said down-shifting or down-conversion component also being distributed within said matrix, said down-shifting or down-conversion component being capable of absorbing light of a defined wavelength region and emitting light at a wavelength region longer than said defined wavelength region.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein said medium is arranged in a single layer or waveguide or shape suitable to cover parts or all of a surface of an object, upon which said light is incident, e.g. a solar cell.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein said single layer or waveguide or shape has cylindrical or paralleliped or triclinic symmetry.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein said medium is arranged in several layers each layer having a different pair of sensitizer and emissive components in it.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein one layer of said several layers comprises said further component for photon energy down-shifting or down-conversion as defined in claim 3.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein said layer that comprises said further component for photon energy down-shifting or down-conversion is devoid of any pair of sensitizer and emissive component.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein said medium comprises one pair of sensitizer and emissive component which absorbs in the green wavelength region and emits in the blue wavelength region and said medium comprises another pair of sensitizer and emissive component which absorbs in the red wavelength region and emits in the blue wavelength region.

10. The device according to claim 7, wherein said further component for photon energy down-shifting or down-conversion absorbs light in the UV-wavelength region and emits light in the blue wavelength region.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein said medium comprises one pair of sensitizer and emissive component which is perylene and palladium octaethylporphyrine (PdOEP) and another pair of sensitizer and emissive component which is perylene and platinum octaethylporphyrine (PtOEP).

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein said medium comprises perylene as a component for photon energy down-conversion.

13. The device according to claim 1, wherein said matrix is transparent in the range from 300 to 1600 nm.

14. The device according to claim 1, wherein said fluid has a viscosity in the range of from 0.59×

10−

3 to 1×

106 Pa·

s.

15. The device according to claim 1, wherein said matrix is a solid with elastic, plastic, viscoelastic or viscoplastic properties.

16. The device according to claim 1, wherein said matrix is an organic or inorganic glass with a viscosity 1×

103 to 1×

1017 Pa·

s.

17. The device according to claim 1, wherein said matrix is a viscous liquid having a viscosity≧

0.59×

10−

3 Pa·

s.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein said matrix is made of one or several materials selected from the following organic oligomers, said oligomers having a finite number of monomeric units, and co-oligomers, said co-oligomers being comprised of a mixture of monomeric units, said momomeric units including, but not being limited to the class of substituted or non-substituted styrenes, phenylenes, phenylene diamines, phenylene diols, methyl methacrylates, phenols, acrylic acids, vinyls, such as vinyl alcohol or vinyl chloride, lactic acids, carbohydrates, carbonates, imides, amides, such as acryl amide, olefins, such as ethylene and propylene, olefin oxides, such as ethylene oxide or propylene oxide, olefin glycols, such as ethylene glycol and propylene glycol, terephthalic acids, epsilon-caprolactams, urethanes, silanes, siloxanes and substituted and functionalised forms of any of the foregoing, and any combination thereof, said matrix optionally and additionally including one or several organic solvents or water to vary, adjust and control the viscosity of said medium.

19. The device according to claim 1, wherein said matrix is an inorganic or organic gel having a viscosity≧

1×

10−

1 Pa·

s.

20. The device according to claim 19, wherein said organic gel is an organic physical gel having non-covalent bonds or is a chemical gel having covalent bonds and preferably being crosslinked wherein crosslinking is achieved by irradiation or by addition of crosslinking chemicals or both.

21. The device according to claim 19, wherein said gel contains one or several linear and branched polymers, including, but not limited to poly(styrenes), (poly)phenylenes, poly(naphthalate), poly(terephthalate), poly(olefin-naphthalate) and poly(olefin-terephthalate), such as poly(ethylene naphthalate), poly(ethylene terephthale), poly(ether imides), poly(ether ketones), poly(hydroxyl-butyrates), poly(phenylene diamines), poly(phenylene diols), poly(methyl methacrylates), poly(phenols), poly(acrylic acids), poly(vinyls), such as poly(vinyl alcohols) or poly(vinyl chlorides), poly(lactic acids), poly(carbohydrates), poly(carbonate), poly(imide), poly(amide), such as poly(acryl amide), olefins, such as poly(ethylene) and poly(propylene), poly(olefin oxides), such as poly(ethylene oxide) or poly(propylene oxide), poly(olefin glycols), such as poly(ethylene glycol) and poly(propylene glycol), poly(terephthalic acids), poly(epsilon-caprolactam), poly(urethanes), polysilanes, poly(siloxanes) and combinations, mixtures or blends of any of the foregoing, said matrix optionally and additionally including one or several organic solvents or water to vary, adjust and control the viscosity of said medium.

22. The device according to claim 1, wherein said matrix is a solid or glass having a viscosity≧

1×

103 Pa·

s.

23. The device according to claim 22, wherein said matrix is made of a thermoplastic polymer or copolymer ((block, alternating and/or graft copolymers) or a mixture thereof and/or with one or several suitable solvents to control and adjust viscoelasticity or plastoelasticity of said medium.

24. The medium according to claim 22, wherein said matrix is made of polymer or copolymer, including block, alternating and/or graft copolymers with molecular weights from 103 to ca. 109, including but not limited to poly(styrenes), (poly)phenylenes, poly(naphthalate), poly(terephthalate), poly(olefin-naphthalate) and poly(olefin-terephthalate), such as poly(ethylene naphthalate), poly(ethylene terephthale), poly(ether imides), poly(ether ketones), poly(hydroxyl-butyrates), poly(phenylene diamines), poly(phenylene diols), poly(methyl methacrylates), poly(phenols), poly(acrylic acids), poly(vinyls), such as poly(vinyl alcohols) or poly(vinyl chlorides), poly(lactic acids), poly(carbohydrates), poly(carbonate), poly(imide), poly(amide), such as poly(acryl amide), olefins, such as poly(ethylene) and poly(propylene), poly(olefin oxides), such as poly(ethylene oxide) or poly(propylene oxide), poly(olefin glycols), such as poly(ethylene glycol) and poly(propylene glycol), poly(terephthalic acids), poly(epsilon-caprolactam), poly(urethanes), poly(silanes), poly(siloxanes) and combinations, mixtures or blends of any of the foregoing, said matrix optionally and additionally including one or several organic solvents or water to vary, adjust and control the viscosity of said medium.

25. The device according to claim 22, wherein said matrix is made of a thermosetting plastic.

26. The device according to claim 25, wherein said thermosetting plastic is selected from polyester resins, epoxy resins, preferably two-component epoxy resins, acrylics, polyimides, melamine resins, and phenol-formaldehyde resins.

27. The device according to claims 1, wherein said matrix is made of an elastic solid and more specifically a polymer elastomer.

28. The device according to claim 27, wherein said matrix is made of an elastic solid and more specifically a polymer elastomer selected from polyacrylic rubbers, silicone rubbers, fluorosilicone rubbers, fluoroelastomers, perfluoroelastomers, polyether-block-amides, and olefin rubbers.

29. The device according to claim 1, wherein said matrix does not take part in a photon energy up-conversion process upon irradiation of said medium.

30. The device according to claim 1, wherein said first component is a first organic compound and said second component is a second organic compound.

31. The device according to claim 1, wherein said first component is neither covalently bonded nor complexed to said second component.

32. The device according to claim 1, wherein said first component is covalently bonded or complexed to said second component.

33. The device according to claim 30, wherein said first and said second organic compounds are different compounds.

34. The device according to claim 30, wherein said first and said second organic compound is a carbon-containing compound, with the proviso that it is not a hydrogen-free chalcogenide of carbon, a derivative thereof, a salt-like carbide, a metallic carbide or a metal-carbonyl.

35. The device according to claim 1, wherein said emissive component'"'"'s emitting light at said second wavelength region λ

2 is due to an up-conversion process based on direct or sequential two-photon excitation or on direct or sequential multi-photon excitation or on excitation of molecules populating high vibrational state(s) (“

hot-band absorption”

), which up-conversion process occurs upon absorption of light by said first component at said first wavelength region λ

1.

36. The device according to claim 1, wherein said emissive component'"'"'s emitting light at said second wavelength region λ

2 is due to an up-conversion process based on a triplet-triplet annihilation process between photoexcited molecules of said emissive component and/or based on a triplet-triplet annihilation process between photo-excited molecules of said first component.

37. The device according to claim 1, wherein said second wavelength region λ

2 is in the range 360-750 nm and said first wavelength region λ

1 is in the range 450-1600 nm.

38. The device according to claim 1, wherein said first component is an organic dye or molecule having a populated triplet or mixed triplet-singlet state, a two-photon-absorbing (TPA)-dye, an optical limiting compound, another molecule with a populated triplet state or an optical limiting compound—

e.g. a fullerene, or carbon nanotubes.

39. The device according to claim 1, wherein said second component is an organic dye.

40. The device according to claim 1, wherein said first component is a first organic dye and said second component is a second organic dye, wherein said first and second organic dyes are the same or different.

41. The device according to claim 40, wherein said first and/or said second organic dye is selected from the group comprising organic dyes with populated triplet states or capable of direct and/or sequential two-photon excitation, organic dyes capable of direct and/or multi-photon excitation, organic dyes capable of non-linear absorption and organic dyes capable of hot-band absorption.

42. The device according to claim 38, wherein said organic dye, in particular said first organic dye, is selected from the group comprising organic molecules having populated triplet states and especially metal-organic complexes having populated triplet states, for example but not limited to Li, Mg, Al, Ti, V(VO), Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ru, Pd, Ag, Re, Os, Ir, Pt, Pb, U (UO2) containing organic complexes, or any combination of the foregoing to ensure wavelength control.

43. The device according to claim 42, wherein said first organic dye is selected from the group comprising compounds with a populated triplet state, including but not limited to

porphyrins, including extended porphyrins, texaphyrins, sapphyrins, orangerins, any carbon-bridged pyrrolic system, substituted porphyrins and any of the foregoing containing metals including but not limited to Li, Mg, Al, Ti, V(VO), Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ru, Pd, Ag, Re, Os, Ir, Pt, Pb, U(UO2),

phtalocyanines, including extended phtalocyanines, substituted phtalocyanines, and any of the foregoing phtalocyanins containing metals including but not limited to Li, Mg, Al, Ti, V(VO), Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ru, Pd, Ag, Re, Os, Ir, Pt, Pb, U(UO2),

benzopyridines, benzopyrizines, quinolates and hydroxyquinolates, acetyl-acetonates, substituted benzopyridines, benzopyrizines, quinolates and hydroxyquinolates, acetyl-acetonates;

-mixtures of any of the foregoing,

and said second organic dye is selected from the group comprising compounds showing fluorescence emission in the range of from 360 to 750 nm, in particular fluorescent dyes showing fluorescence emission in the range of from 360 nm to 750 nm, e.g.

anthracenes, tetracenes, pentacenes, perylenes

substituted anthracenes, tetracenes, pentacenes, perylenes

phenyl (bi-, tri-phenyl)-bridged anthracenes, tetracenes, pentacenes, perylenes fluorenes, thiophenes,

polyfluorenes and oligofluorenes, with or without any sidechain pattern and their copolymers, polyparaphenylenes, including polyparaphenylene vinylene, and polyphenyleneethinylenes.

44. The device according to claim 42, wherein said first and said second organic dye are chosen such that a populated triplet state of said first organic dye is at an energy level allowing a triplet-triplet annihilation process and the subsequent transfer of energy to an excited singlet state of said second dye.

45. The device according to claim 1, wherein combinations of said first and second component are selected from:

a) Green couple;

DPA/PdOEP;

(i.e. 9,10-diphenylanthracene (DPA)/2,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethylporphyrin Palladium (PdOEP))

b) Red couple;

BPEA/PdTPTBP;

(i.e. 9,10-Bis(phenylethynyl)anthracene (BPEA)/meso-Tetraphenyl-tetrabenzoporphyrin Palladium (PdTPTBP))

c) Near infra red couple;

BPEN/PdTPTNP;

(i.e. 9,10-Bis(phenylethynyl)naphthacene (BPEN)/meso-Tetraphenyl-octamethoxide-tetranaphtho [2,3]porphyrin Palladium (PdTPTNP))

d) Direct Red-to-Blue couple;

Perylene/PdTPTBP;

;

(i.e. Dibenz[de,kl]anthracene (Perylene)/meso-Tetraphenyl-tetrabenzoporphyrin Palladium (PdTPTBP))

e) Direct Infrared-to-Green couple;

BPBT/PdTPTNP;

;

(i.e. 4,4′

-bis(5-tetracenyl)-1,1′

-biphenylene (BPBT)/meso-Tetraphenyl-octamethoxide-tetranaphtho[2,3]porphyrin Palladium (PdTPTNP))

f) Infrared-to-yellow couple;

Rubrene/PdTAP;

(i.e. 5,6,11,12-Tetraphenylnaphthacene (Rubrene)/Tetraantraporphyrin Palladium (PdTAP)).

46. The device according to claim 1, wherein said first and said second components are homogeneously distributed within said matrix.

47. The device according to claim 1, wherein said first and said second components are encapsulated in particles having average dimensions in the range of from 5 nm to 999 μ

m, and such particles are homogeneously distributed within said matrix.

48. The device according to claim 47, wherein said particles have average dimensions in the range of from 10 nm to 999 μ

m.

49. The device according to claim 47, wherein said particles have a surface which is functionalized by functional groups to allow distribution of said particles within said matrix, said functional groups preferably being H, —

(CH₂)nCH₃, —

(CH₂)n—

COOR, —

(CH₂)n—

OR, —

(CH₂)n—

SR, —

(CH₂)n—

NR₂, —

((CH₂)p—

O)n—

CH₃, with R═

H, substituted or non-substituted alkenyl or alkynyl, or halogen, such as Cl, Br, F, I, or NO2, NH2, CN, SO3H, OH.

50. Use of the device according to claim 1 for modifying, e.g. narrowing the wavelength range of a spectrum of light incident on said device, such that light emitted from said device onto an object has a modified, e.g. more narrow wavelength range in comparison to said incident light, said use comprising the steps:

arranging said device in such a spatial relation to said object such that radiation irradiated upon said object passes through said device before impinging on said object, and, optionally,

irradiating said object, e.g. a solar cell or a window or a window of a greenhouse with light, preferably sunlight.

51. Use according to claim 50, wherein said step of arranging involves contacting said device with said object, or using said device as cover of said object.