Broadband optical limiter based on nano-graphene and method of fabricating same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9529129-B2
Application number	US-76630910-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 23, 2010
Priority date	Apr 28, 2009
Publication date	Dec 27, 2016
Grant date	Dec 27, 2016

Abstract

The present invention in one aspect relates to a low-cost, nano-graphene based broadband optical limiter with limiting properties superior to current standards, carbon fullerenes (C 60 ) solutions and carbon black suspensions. The broadband optical limiter includes a plurality of graphene nano-sheets, and a base material in which the plurality of graphene nano-sheets is distributed. The base material can be liquid or gel matrix.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An article of manufacture, comprising:
a graphene-based broadband optical limiter, comprising a graphene-polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) gel, wherein the graphene-PVA gel comprises:
(a) a PVA gel as a base material;
(b) a plurality of graphene nano-sheets suspended in the PVA gel; and
(c) a coating of single-stranded DNA, formed on the plurality of graphene nano-sheets,

wherein the graphene-PVA gel is made by:
preparing a starting graphene suspension comprising a plurality of graphene nano-sheets suspended in water;
preparing a solution of a reagent dissolved in a buffer, wherein the reagent comprises double-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (dsDNA);
mixing the starting graphene suspension with the reagent solution to form a mixture, sonicating and heating the mixture such that the dsDNA is unzipped to form the single-stranded DNA, and the single-stranded DNA is coated on the plurality of graphene nano-sheets to form a stabilized graphene suspension;
mixing the stabilized graphene suspension with 4 percent by weight (wt %) borax aqueous solution to form a borax solution;
mixing 1 part of the borax solution with 9 part of a 4 wt % PVA aqueous solution to form a resulting mixture; and
homogenizing the resulting mixture under 70° C. water bath and allowing the resulting mixture to sit overnight, so as to form the graphene-PVA gel,
wherein the graphene-PVA gel has a linear transmittance of about 50% at 532 nm with a path length of about 10 millimeter.

2. An optical limiting device, comprising
a graphene-based broadband optical limiter comprising a stabilized graphene suspension characterized with an optical limiting response of a transmittance as a function of input fluence of an incident light, wherein the stabilized graphene suspension comprises:
(a) a plurality of graphene nano-sheets;
(b) a base material in which the plurality of graphene nano-sheets is suspended, wherein the base material is a polymer gel matrix comprising a poly(vinyl alcohol) gel; and
(c) a coating of single-stranded DNA, formed on the plurality of graphene nano-sheets,
wherein the graphene nano-sheets and the base material are structured to form the optical limiting device that limits laser energy of a laser beam; and
wherein the transmittance decreases from a linear transmittance that is equal to or less than about 70% as the input fluence increases.

3. The optical limiting device of claim 2 , wherein each of the plurality of graphene nano-sheets has lateral dimensions of about 200 nm by 300 nm, and a thickness of about 1 nm.

4. The optical limiting device of claim 2 , being dispersed in an organic solvent.

5. The optical limiting device of claim 4 , wherein the organic solvent is selected from the group consisting of acetonitrile (ACN), tetrahydrofuran (THF), N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), and a mixture of DMF and carbon disulfide (CS 2 ).

6. The optical limiting device of claim 5 , wherein the volume ratio of DMF to CS 2 in the mixture of DMF and CS 2 is about 1:1.

7. The optical limiting device of claim 4 , wherein the optical limiting response is controllable by varying the viscosity and polarity of the organic solvent.

8. The optical limiting device of claim 2 , wherein the optical limiting response is superior to that of a fullerene C 60 solution and a carbon black suspension.

9. The optical limiting device of claim 2 , wherein the optical limiting response is controllable by changing at least one of graphene sizes, π conjugation and degrees of chemical functionalization.

10. The optical limiting device of claim 2 , wherein the optical limiting response is controllable by forming composites with optical limiting materials including gold nanoparticles.

11. The optical limiting device of claim 2 , wherein the optical limiting response is controllable by introducing species into graphene 2D network, and wherein the species includes epoxide, hydroxyl, carbonyl and carboxyl groups.

12. The optical limiting device of claim 2 , wherein the optical limiting response exists from UV to IR wavelengths independently.

13. The optical limiting device of claim 2 , being dispersible in aqueous, organic solvents and gels.

Assignees

• Zhao Wei
• Zhao Boshan
• Univ Arkansas

Inventors

• Zhao Wei
• Zhao Boshan

Classifications

• Y10T428/30

  Self-sustaining carbon mass or layer with impregnant or other layer · CPC title

• G02F2202/36

  Micro- or nanomaterials · CPC title

• C01B31/0438

  Chemistry & Metallurgy · mapped topic

• G02B1/06

  made of fluids in transparent cells · CPC title

• G02F1/3523

  Non-linear absorption changing by light, e.g. bleaching · CPC title