US4812352A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Article having surface layer of uniformly oriented, crystalline, organic microstructures
Assignee: 3M Co
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Filing: 1986-08-25
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Granted: 1989-03-14
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Expires: 2006-08-25
Abstract
Abstract Article comprising a substrate bearing a microlayer which comprises uniformly oriented, crystalline, solid, organic microstructures and a method for preparing said article. The microstructures may be mono- or polycrystalline. In the preferred embodiment, the microstructures are of uniform shape and size. The articles can be prepared by (1) depositing a vapor of an organic compound as a thin, continuous film onto a substrate to provide a composite, and (2) annealing the composite in a vacuum sufficiently such that a physical change is induced in the orginal deposited film to form the microstructures. The microlayer can be overcoated with other materials to provide desired properties to the article. The articles of this invention are useful for many forms of light trapping, energy absorption, imaging, data transmission and storage, and gradient index applications.
Inventors
- 👤 Mark K. Debe
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 14:37
CPC Classifications
C; C23; C23C; C23C14/00; C23C14/58; C23C14/5806; C23C14/06; C23C14/12; C23C14/14; C23C14/20; C23C14/584; C30; C30B; C30B23/00; C30B23/007; C30B25/00; C30B25/005; C30B29/00; C30B29/54; C30B29/60; C30B29/62; C30B33/00; F; F24; F24S; F24S70/00; F24S70/20; F24S70/225; F24S70/60; Y; Y02; Y02E; Y02E10/00; Y02E10/40; Y02E10/44; Y10; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/24; Y10T428/24355; Y10T428/24364; Y10T428/24372; Y10T428/249921; Y10T428/25; Y10T428/26; Y10T428/263; Y10T428/264; Y10T428/265; Y10T428/268; Y10T428/29; Y10T428/31504; Y10T428/31678; Y10T428/31692; Y10T428/31855
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 29
Claim 1
Independent Claim
49 words
An article comprising a substrate bearing on at least one major surface thereof a microlayer comprising an array of discrete, uniformly oriented, crystalline, solid microstructures, said microstructures comprising an organic compound wherein the molecule thereof is planar and comprises chains or rings over which π-electron density is extensively delocalized.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
49 words
An article comprising a substrate bearing on at least one major surface thereof a microlayer comprising an array of discrete, uniformly oriented, crystalline, solid microstructures, said microstructures comprising an organic compound wherein the molecule thereof is planar and comprises chains or rings over which π-electron density is extensively delocalized.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
24 words
An article according to claim 1 wherein said organic compound is selected from the group consisting of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic aromatic compounds.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
17 words
An article according to claim 2 wherein said heterocyclic aromatic compound is selected from phthalocyanines and porphyrins.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
13 words
An article according to claim 3 wherein said aromatic compound is metal-free phthalocyanine.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
An article according to claim 1 wherein said microlayer had been formed from a layer of organic material deposited on said substrate.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
25 words
An article according to claim 5 wherein the length of said microstructures is directly proportional to the thickness of said layer of deposited organic material.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
11 words
An article according to claim 1 wherein said article is flexible.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
11 words
An article according to claim 1 wherein said article is rigid.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
11 words
An article according to claim 1 wherein said article is shaped.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
21 words
An article according to claim 1 wherein said microstructures are oriented such that their major axes are normal to the substrate.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
11 words
An article according to claim 1 wherein said microstructures are whiskers.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
21 words
An article according to claim 11 wherein said whiskers have an aspect ratio which ranges from about 10 to about 80.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
17 words
An article according to claim 11 wherein said whiskers have uniform cross-sectional dimensions along their major dimension.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
19 words
An article according to claim 11 wherein said whiskers have areal number densities of about 50 per square micrometer.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
29 words
An article according to claim 11 wherein the surface area of said whiskers is equivalent to about ten to about fifteen times the planar surface area of said substrate.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
13 words
An article according to claim 1 further having a first overlayer coated thereon.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
15 words
An article according to claim 16 wherein the material of said first overlayer is inorganic.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
16 words
An article according to claim 17 wherein the material of said first overlayer comprises a metal.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
15 words
An article according to claim 16 wherein the material of said first overlayer is organic.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
17 words
An article according to claim 16 wherein said first overlayer is in intimate contact with said microstructures.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
41 words
An article acording to claim 16 wherein said microstructures are of such a shape that they have distal ends and said first overlayer is primarily in contact with the distal ends of the microstructures so as to provide a continuous film.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
16 words
An article according to claim 16 further having a second overlayer coated over said first overlayer.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
15 words
An article according to claim 22 wherein the material of said second overlayer is organic.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
15 words
An article according to claim 22 wherein the material of said second overlayer is inorganic.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
16 words
An article according to claim 24 wherein the material of said second overlayer comprises a metal.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
52 words
An article comprising a substrate bearing on at least one major surface thereof a microlayer comprising an array of discrete, uniformly oriented, crystalline, solid microstructures, said microstructures comprising an organic compound selected from perylenes wherein the molecule thereof is planar and comprises chains or rings over which π-electron density is extensively delocalized.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
52 words
An article comprising a substrate bearing on at least one major surface thereof a microlayer comprising an array of discrete, uniformly oriented, crystalline, solid microstructures, said microstructures comprising an organic compound selected from perylenes wherein the molecule thereof is planar and comprises chains or rings over which π-electron density is extensively delocalized.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
15 words
An article according to claim 26 wherein said organic compound is N,N'-di-(3,5-xylyl)perylene- 3,4:9, 10 bis(dicarboximide).
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1992-03-13 | 1992-09-12 | 1993-03-14 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1996-03-13 | 1996-09-12 | 1997-03-14 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2000-03-13 | 2000-09-12 | 2001-03-14 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |