Optical plastic

Within the limitations on the physical properties which generally restrict plastics to low precision optics, plastics materials have found wide applications in optical products that range from lights to binders for electroluminescent phosphors to fiber optics and lasers. They represent an easily worked material with a wide range of desirable optical properties in simple to complex shapes. In this review the discussion has been limited to the differences between plastics and optical glass materials and to some of the unique design possibilities that are especially important for plastics. Using the optical arts and the... 

Plastic slides optical plastic microslides (Rinzl). 

Nikolov ID and Ivano CD (2000) Optical plastic refractive measurements in the visible and the near-infrared regions. Appl Opt 39 2067-70. 

Scheme 100 Compared structures of two monomers for the fabrication of optical plastic lenses.

Properties Clear optical plastic highly resistant to impact and abrasion. Furnished as a clear liquid. Thermosetting. 

Dimethyl isophthalate is used as a plasticizer and modifier for polyethylene terephthalate, PET, and as a reactive intermediate for optical plastics. 

Compared with acrylic glass, polystyrene has a lower light stability and resistance to ultraviolet radiation. The slight degradation when exposed to ultraviolet radiation is a disadvantage that occurs with all optical plastics. The higher refractive index of polystyrene permits its use in conjunction with acrylic lenses for the design of colour-... 

Metals are characterized by ultrahigh/low refractive indices and therefore can be used to modily the refractive index of optical plastics. Ultrahigh/low refractive index optical nanocomposites can be used in the waveguide technology (e.g., planar waveguides and optical fibers). 

Borders J, McGovern MR. Cyclic olefin Polymeric Nanocomposite Optical Plastic Article and Method of making same. U.S. Patent 6552111, www.patentstorm.us/patents/ 6552111/fulltext.html April 22, 2003. www.malvem.com/LabEng/industry/nanotechnology. 

By copolymerization of the aliphatic CR 39 with diallylic terephthalate it is possible to design any optical plastic with refractive indices between 1.57 for the pure aromatic polymer and 1.49 for the pure aliphatic CR 39 (Figure 1). 

Besides classical inorganic glasses, there are certain optical plastics that are employed in the transparency and eyewear industry. For instance, thermoset resins based on allyl diglycol carbonate, poly(methyl methacrylate) derivatives, and bis-phenol A polycarbonates have been used to produce commercial plastic non-photochromic and photochromic lenses. As far as has been disclosed by the manufacturers, indolinospironaphthoxazines, INSO, and pyridobenzoxazines. 

Uses Epoxy tor coating (paper, wood, metal, glass, optical, plastic, PVC floor), inks, electronics, secants, adhesives (anaerobic, binder, structural, pressure-sensitive)... 

Small droplets can be used to fabricate lenses and lens arrays suitable for use in fiber optics, laser diodes, imaging arrays, displays and optical switches. Cured optical plastics are used instead of glass to produce lenses where the curvature of the lens can be adjusted by control of surface tension and contact angle of droplets deposited on flat substrates. 

It has been reported that the novel bifunctional thiomethacrylates (96), which have refractive indices of 1.6 and larger, are very important and useful monomers for high index cross-linkers for optical plastics (258). 

Benjamin, R. Injection Molding of Precision Plastic Optics. Plastics Design Processing, Mar. 1979. 

Koike, Y. and Naritomi, M. (1994) Graded-refractive-index optical plastic material and method for its production. JP Patent 3719733, US Patent 5783636, EU Patent 0710855, KR Patent 375581, CN Patent L951903152, TW Patent 090942, originally filed in 1994. 

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