Patents
US 12735628 B1: Rapid-darkening, wavelength-tunable photochromic compositions, systems, and methods
- Granted
- 2026-09-15
- Filed
- 2023-05-13 application 18197058
- Type
- Utility · 19 claims
- Elsewhere
- Google Patents ↗ · USPTO patent document ↗ · USPTO Patent Center record ↗
Abstract
Rapid-darkening and wavelength-tunable photochromic compositions and systems are disclosed. Nanoparticles photochromically darken in response to incident light by photo-oxidizing a dopant to reversibly create an optically absorbing mid-gap electronic state. The wavelengths that trigger photochromic darkening as well as the absorbed wavelengths may be tuned by changing the nanoparticle composition, the nanoparticle size, and/or the dopant. The time for reversal of darkening may be tuned using hole-accepting ligands attached to the nanoparticles as well as hole-accepting molecules adjacent to the nanoparticles. Some variations provide a photochromic composition comprising: semiconductor nanoparticles that do not include ZnS, ZnSe, ZnTe, or ZnInS; transition-metal dopant particles; and organic ligands bonded to the semiconductor nanoparticles, wherein the organic ligands contain a carboxylate functional group, a thiol functional group, an amine functional group, or a combination thereof. In the disclosed systems, there is an on/off switch for the photochromic function. Many photochromic uses are described.
Source: PTBLXML, file of 2026-09-15 (ipgb20260915.xml).
Assignees
| Assignee | Type | Place | Also on furp.org | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HRL Laboratories, LLC 1,601 patents | US company or organization | Malibu, CA | PTBLXML, file of 2026-09-15 |
Inventors
| Inventor | Place | Patents | Person page | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adam Gross | Santa Monica, CA | PTBLXML, file of 2026-09-15 | ||
| Erik Crenshaw | Los Angeles, CA | 5 | PTBLXML, file of 2026-09-15 | |
| Shirell Klein | Los Angeles, CA | 4 | PTBLXML, file of 2026-09-15 | |
| Gregory Rutkowski | Calabasas, CA | 4 | PTBLXML, file of 2026-09-15 |
CPC categories
| Subclass | Category | First group | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| C09K | Materials for miscellaneous applications, not provided for elsewhere | C09K9/00 | PTBLXML, file of 2026-09-15 |
| G02F | Optical devices or arrangements for the control of light by modification of the optical properties of the media of the elements involved therein; non-linear optics; frequency-changing of light; optical logic elements; optical analogue/digital converters | G02F1/0121 | PTBLXML, file of 2026-09-15 |
| B82Y | Specific uses or applications of nanostructures; measurement or analysis of nanostructures; manufacture or treatment of nanostructures | B82Y20/00 | PTBLXML, file of 2026-09-15 |
Cooperative Patent Classification, as currently assigned (one row per subclass).
Assignments and security interests
No recorded assignments or security interests on file for this patent.
USPTO bulk data: PatentsView granted patents, disambiguated (PVGPATDIS) for patents, assignees, inventors, places and CPC categories; the USPTO Patent Assignment Dataset (ECORSEXC) for assignments and security interests. Patents filed in the last 20 years. No claims or full text. Links to other records are by name (and state): EXACT means the identical full name and state; FUZZY means a looser name match, with the confidence shown.