Inventors:
Duncan W. McBranch - Santa Fe NM
Benjamin R. Mattes - Santa Fe NM
Aaron C. Koskelo - Los Alamos NM
Alan J. Heeger - Santa Barbara CA
Jeanne M. Robinson - Los Alamos NM
Laura B. Smilowitz - Los Alamos NM
Victor I. Klimov - Los Alamos NM
N. Serdar Sariciftci - Santa Barbara CA
Jan C. Hummelen - Groningen, NL
Assignee:
The Regents of the University of California - Los Alamos MN
International Classification:
F21V 900
G02B 522
Abstract:
Optical limiting materials. Methanofullerenes, fulleroids and/or other fullerenes chemically altered for enhanced solubility, in liquid solution, and in solid blends with transparent glass (SiO. sub. 2) gels or polymers, or semiconducting (conjugated) polymers, are shown to be useful as optical limiters (optical surge protectors). The nonlinear absorption is tunable such that the energy transmitted through such blends saturates at high input energy per pulse over a wide range of wavelengths from 400-1100 nm by selecting the host material for its absorption wavelength and ability to transfer the absorbed energy into the optical limiting composition dissolved therein. This phenomenon should be generalizable to other compositions than substituted fullerenes.