Device for collecting light and method of manufacturing such device

Abstract

Abstract A light-collecting device in the form of, for example, a rectangularly-shaped body having a so-called "fluorescent plate" with at least one light-exit window is comprised of a solid polymerized synthetic carrier material, such as a polyacrylate, a polymethacrylate, a polystyrene or copolymers thereof, containing fluorescing particles therein which have finite dipole moments with different values in the basic and in the excited state and containing a polar organic additive, such as a high-boiling polar solvent, for example, an aliphatic or aromatic alcohol, a nitrile or an ionogenic or non-ionogenic soap, with the fluorescing particles and additive being substantially uniformly distributed throughout such carrier material. The additive creates an environment with an orientating polarization about the fluorescent particles whereby the environment can re-orientate so-quickly that it achieves its thermodynamic equilibrium substantially completely during the existence of the excited state in the fluorescing particles and tends to suppress the disruptive self-absorption of light within the fluorescent plate. Such self-absorption originates from a partial overlap of the emission spectrum with the absorption spectrum of the fluorescing particles. The additive can be dissolved in the synthetic carrier material or can be chemically linked therewith and the so-attained system can be injection moulded, extruded or cast into a desired body form. The disclosed device is useful as a solar collector, an optical indicia transmitter or an image brightener for passive displays.

Inventors

• 👤 Waldemar Greubel
• 👤 Ferdinand Quella

Bibliographic Details