| abstract |
An optically upconverted liquid filled polymeric material prepared by curing a curable composition. The material is a substantially liquid phase that serves to dissolve the upconverted chromophore, optionally a surfactant that retains or receives the surfactant and liquid phase, provides mechanical stability, and optionally provides a cross-linked polymer matrix . The optically upconverted liquid-filled polymeric material has a phase-separated morphology. In a preferred embodiment, the domains formed by the two phases are so small that the light scattering is greatly suppressed, making the upconverted liquid filled polymer material generally transparent. The liquid phase provides high mobility of the dissolved chromophore and the photophysical properties such as the low excitation intensity threshold needed to achieve high up-conversion quantum efficiency and up-conversion further reminds the conventional or anaerobic solution over the polymer solids. Such photophysical properties can be achieved by producing the polymer under anaerobic conditions or in a preferred embodiment under ambient conditions. The design principles introduced here for making up-conversion liquid filled polymeric materials are versatile and general; The liquid phase, the surfactant, the polymer matrix, and the upconverting chromophore can both be easily changed. Significantly, optically up-converted liquid filled polymeric materials can be made in a one-step process, which makes them desirable compared to other liquid-containing polymers that enable up-conversion. |