IP Library Granted Patent US 12,289,941
Granted Patent B2
US 12,289,941 · App. 17/653,470 · Granted Apr 29, 2025

Chiral heterostructures

Inventors: Matthew Craig Beard (Arvada, CO); Jeffrey Lee Blackburn (Golden, CO); Ji Hao (Santa Clara, CA); Haipeng Lu (Hong Kong, CN)
Assignee: Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC
H10K30/20G01J4/04H10K85/111H10K85/221H10K85/371H10K30/50
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,289,941
App. No.
17/653,470
Granted
Apr 29, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a composition that includes a first layer having a first molecule that includes a metal and a halogen, a second layer that includes the first molecule, and a third layer that includes a chiral molecule, where the third layer is positioned between the first layer and the second layer, and the first layer, the second layer, and the third layer form a crystalline structure.

Claims (35)

1. A composition comprising:

a first layer comprising a first molecule comprising a metal and a halogen;

a second layer comprising the first molecule;

a third layer comprising at least one of R-methylbenzylammonium or S-methylbenzylammonium; and

a layer comprising a carbon nanotube (CNT), wherein:

the third layer is positioned between the first layer and the second layer,

the first layer, the second layer, and the third layer form a crystalline structure,

the layer comprising a CNT is in contact with the first layer or the second layer,

the composition can detect circularly polarized light (CPL), and

the CPL has an average anisotropic factor of circular dichroism (g CD ) between 0.001 and 0.2 in a wavelength range between 200 nm and 470 nm.

2. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the metal comprises copper.

3. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the halogen comprises chloride.

4. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the first molecule comprises CuCl 4 .

5. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the crystalline structure has a shape comprising a platelet.

6. The composition of claim 5 , wherein the platelet is substantially planar in shape.

7. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the CNT comprises a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT).

8. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the SWCNT comprises a (6,5) semiconducting SWCNT.

9. The composition of claim 1 , further comprising an average anisotropic factor of photoresponsivity (g res ) between −0.194 and +0.25.

10. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the layer comprising a CNT is capable of performing as a contact layer.

11. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the first layer, the second layer, and the third layer have a combined thickness between 10 nm and 200 nm.

12. The composition of claim 11 , wherein the combined thickness is between 10 nm and 100 nm.

13. The composition of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first layer or the second layer is constructed of two or more layers.

14. The composition of claim 13 , wherein each of the two or more layers has a thickness between 1 nm and 2 nm.

15. A device comprising:

an absorber layer comprising:

a first layer comprising a first molecule comprising a metal and a halogen;

a second layer comprising the first molecule; and

a third layer comprising at least one of R-methylbenzylammonium or S-methylbenzylammonium, wherein:

the third layer is positioned between the first layer and the second layer, and

the first layer, the second layer, and the third layer form a crystalline structure; and

a transport layer comprising a carbon nanotube (CNT), wherein:

the transport layer comprising the CNT is in contact with the first layer or the second layer,

the device is capable of detecting circularly polarized light (CPL), and

the CPL has an average anisotropic factor of circular dichroism (g CD ) between 0.001 and 0.2 in a wavelength range between 200 nm and 470 nm.

16. The device of claim 15 , configured to operate as at least one of an optical device, an imaging device, a sensing device, a computing device, an information processing device, or a communication device.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Dec 16, 2025
From: ALLIANCE FOR SUSTAINABLE ENERGY, LLC
To: ALLIANCE FOR ENERGY INNOVATION, LLC
Reel/Frame 073993/0276 →
CONFIRMATORY LICENSE Recorded May 17, 2022
From: NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY
To: UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Reel/Frame 059933/0033 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 4, 2022
From: BEARD, MATTHEW CRAIG; BLACKBURN, JEFFREY LEE; HAO, JI; LU, HAIPENG
To: ALLIANCE FOR SUSTAINABLE ENERGY, LLC
Reel/Frame 059168/0166 →