The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 31, 2026
Filed:
May. 13, 2023
Hrl Laboratories, Llc, Malibu, CA (US);
Adam Gross, Santa Monica, CA (US);
Erik Crenshaw, Los Angeles, CA (US);
Shirell Klein, Los Angeles, CA (US);
Gregory Rutkowski, Calabasas, CA (US);
HRL Laboratories, LLC, Malibu, CA (US);
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, such as PbS or AgS, that have an average nanoparticle effective diameter from about 1 nanometer to about 20 nanometers; and transition-metal dopant particles capable of undergoing reversible oxidation and reduction. In the disclosed systems, there is an on/off switch for the photochromic function. Many photochromic uses are described.