Conventional photochromic materials have low transition speed that limits certain applications where speed is essential, such as photonic switches. What is needed is a novel compound that can change its optical properties in nanosecond scale.
Solution
The invention includes a family of ultra-fast and remarkably stable photochromic compounds. These molecules operate at nanosecond switching speeds and survive thousands of switching cycles in air with no sign of decomposition. No other known photochromic compound can compete with these systems in speed and stability.
Competitive Advantage
The present invention makes it possible to build ultra-fast optical switching elements, as well as improve existing photochromic applications such as photochromic lenses and films.
Applications
The compounds of the present invention can greatly improve performance of photonic switches, photochromic lenses, smart windows, etc.
Patent Status
U.S. patent application No.
US20070221889 A1
entitled "PHOTOCHROMIC COMPOUNDS BASED ON RING OPENING AND CLOSING OF AN [1,3] OXAZINE COMPOUND" was published on September 27, 2007.
Licensing Opportunity
We are seeking a commercialization partner with capabilities in product development, sales, and marketing. An exclusive worldwide license is available.
About the Inventors
Françisco M. Raymo received a Laurea in Chemistry from the University of Messina (Italy) in 1992 and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Birmingham (UK) in 1996. He was a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Birmingham (UK) in 1996-1997 and at the University of California, Los Angeles (USA) in 1997-1999. He was appointed Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Miami in 2000 and promoted to Associate Professor in 2004. His research interests combine the design, synthesis and analysis of functional molecule-based materials. Specifically, he is developing electroactive films, fluorescent probes and photochromic glasses for chemical sensing and signal processing applications. He is the author of more than 120 publications in the areas of chemical synthesis, computational chemistry, materials science and supramolecular chemistry.
Massimiliano Tomasulo received a Laurea in Chemistry from the University of Bologna (Italy) in 1999. Currently, he is working toward a Ph.D. in Chemistry under the supervision of Professor Raymo. His graduate research focuses on the design and synthesis of photochromic compounds, the electrochemical, photochemical and photophysical investigation of their behavior in solution, the entrapment of these molecules in rigid matrices and the analysis of the optical properties of the resulting photochromic materials.
Selected References
"Signal Processing at the Molecular Level": F. M. Raymo, S. Giordani, J., Am. Chem. Soc., 2001, 123, 4651-4652
"Digital Communication through Intermolecular Fluorescence Modulation": F. M. Raymo, S. Giordani, Org. Lett., 2001, 3, 1833-1836
"Signal Communication between Molecular Switches": F. M. Raymo, S. Giordani, Org. Lett., 2001, 3, 3475-3478
"Multichannel Digital Transmission in an Optical Network of Communicating Molecules": F. M. Raymo, S. Giordani, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2002, 124, 2004-2007
"Digital Processing and Communication with Molecular Switches": F. M. Raymo, Adv. Mater., 2002, 14, 401-414
"All-Optical Processing with Molecular Switches": F. M. Raymo, S. Giordani, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 2002, 99, 4941-4944
"Memory Effects Based on Intermolecular Photoinduced Proton Transfer": F. M. Raymo, R. J. Alvarado, S. Giordani, M. A. Cejas, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2003, 125, 2361-2364
"Digital Processing with A Three-State Molecular Switch": F. M. Raymo, S. Giordani, A. J. P. White, D. J. Williams, J. Org. Chem., 2003, 68, 4158-4169
"A Switch in a Cage with a Memory": S. Giordani, F. M. Raymo, Org. Lett., 2003, 5, 3559-3562
"Nanomaterials Synthesis and Applications: Molecule-Based Devices": F. M. Raymo, Handbook of Nanotechnology, Ed.: B. Bhushan, Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, 2004, 9-38
"Molecular Logic Gates": F. M. Raymo, S. Giordani, Encyclopedia of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Ed.: H. S. Nalwa, American Scientific Publishers, San Diego, 2004, 5, 677-692
"Intermolecular Fluorescence Modulation: A Mechanism to Process Optical Signals with Molecules": F. M. Raymo, Spectrum, 2004, 17, 14-18
"Photoinduced Proton Exchange between Molecular Switches": S. Giordani, M. A. Cejas, F. M. Raymo, Tetrahedron, 2004, 60, 10973-10981
"A Fast and Stable Photochromic Switch Based on the Opening and Closing of an Oxazine Ring": M. Tomasulo, S. Sortino, F. M. Raymo, Org. Lett., 2005, 7, 1109-1112
"Electron and Energy Transfer Modulation with Photochromic Switches": F. M. Raymo, M. Tomasulo, Chem. Soc. Rev., 2005, 34, 327-336
"Fluorescence Modulation in Polymer Bilayers Containing Fluorescent and Photochromic Dopants": M. Tomasulo, S. Giordani, F. M. Raymo, Adv. Funct. Mater., 2005, 15, 787-794
