Development of High Refractive Index Plastics

Abstract

Optical plastics have been the priority area of research for material scientists worldwide, mainly, to find alternative materials to glass, a conceptual optical material in use over the years. There are numerous advantages of using plastics for optical applications, in particular for ophthalmic applications over glass. Recently, the researchers have been putting their efforts to develop novel plastic materials to meet requirements of ophthalmic industries. The present review compiles the recent developments in the area of optical plastics. The aim is to present the current state-of-the-art in the field, besides analyzing the various aspects of developing optical plastics. The review presents various possible approaches to achieve the desired properties e.g. high refractive index of the optical plastic materials.

The influence of soft segments on some properties of new transparent segmented polyurethanes

“…If such polyurethanes additionally have superior transmittance, the new applications, e.g. ophthalmic lenses, nonlinear optics, and fiber optics and interlayers or inner layers for automobile laminated windscreens, may be developed.…”

Synthesis and characterization of poly(phenylene thioether)s containing pyrimidine units exhibiting high transparency, high refractive indices, and low birefringence

“…[1][2][3] The advantages of polymers are their good processability, good impact resistance, and lightweight compared to inorganic glasses. Refractive indices (n) of polymers can be expressed using the Lorentz-Lorenz equation: (1) where ρ is the density, N A is Avogadro's number, M w is the molecular weight, α is the linear molecular polarizability, [R] is the molar refraction, and V 0 is the molecular volume of the polymer repeating unit.…”

High Refractive Index Polymer Composites Synthesized by Cross-Linking of Oxozirconium Clusters Through Thiol-Ene Polymerization

“…Transparent polymeric materials for use in optical lens applications such as eyewear and camera and projector lenses must possess a number of optical and mechanical properties, depending on the application. Among these are specific optical properties such as the refractive index and the Abbe number and mechanical properties as reflected in parameters such as the storage modulus and the glass transition temperature . In general, it is the refractive index that is of great interest in the fabrication of lightweight optics, and as such, the development of polymers with a high refractive index has been a synthetic goal.…”

“…Typically, a refractive index of 1.7 represents an approximate upper limit for conventional organic polymers . In particular, specific examples of polythiourethanes, polynaphthalenes, and polvinylcarbazoles exhibit refractive indices from 1.6 to 1.70, which occupy the high end of the refractive index range . Recently, we have developed a synthetic methodology for synthesizing hard, transparent monolithic polymers using the thiol‐ene coupling reaction.…”