Fabrication of high‐performance, gradient‐refractive‐index plastic rods with surfmer‐cluster‐stabilized nanoparticles

Abstract

A novel method was developed with surfmer-cluster-stabilized silver nanoparticles to prepare high-performance, gradient-refractive-index (GRIN) plastic rods based on methyl methacrylate. To fabricate the GRIN plastic rods, a novel polymerizable surfactant (surfmer) of 4-(11-acryloxyundecyloxy)benzoic acid (AUBA) was synthesized. Silver nanoparticles were prepared with a reverse micelle method in the presence of the novel surfmer. During the fabrication of the silver nanoparticles, the sodium salt of AUBA was formed. GRIN plastic rods were fabricated through centrifugal polymerization and then were heat-treated at 100 8C under 0.1 Torr for 24 h to remove residual monomers and water. The distribution of the surfmer-cluster-stabilized nanoparticles inside the plastic rods was studied with transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The real-image transmission through the fabricated rods was also confirmed. The results obtained in this investigation suggested that the control of the distribution of surfmer-cluster-stabilized nanoparticles could be used to fabricate GRIN rods. Furthermore, the existence of the crosslink-like surfmers increased the thermal stability of the plastic rods. The GRIN distribution of the rods was established by the dispersion of nanoparticles inside the plastic rods through TEM analysis, refractive-index analysis, and real-image transmission.

Tuning the refractive index in 3D direct laser writing lithography: towards GRIN microoptics

“…Commonly, GRIN elements are manufactured using well‐known methods: chemical vapor deposition , ion exchange , neutron irradiation , and thermal , UV , and diffusion‐assisted lithography . However, all of them lack the possibility of embodying arbitrary‐shape components, except for a very recent study .…”

Putting a New Spin on It: Gradient Centrifugation for Analytical and Preparative Applications

“…In the following polymerization process (tube is vertically heated), thermal polymerization starts at the wall of the tube and thus pushes the dopant away from the wall to generate a concentration gradient, and by that a refractive index gradient. The thermal stability was improved by using surfmer‐cluster‐stabilized silver nanoparticles as the filler particles . A drawback of this method is that the polymerizations were performed in an empirical way and no analysis of the sedimentation process was possible.…”

“…The thermals tabilityw as improved by using surfmer-cluster-stabilized silver nanoparticles as the filler particles. [50] Ad rawback of this methodi st hat the polymerizations were performed in an empirical way and no analysis of the sedimentation process was possible.…”

3D Micro-Optics Via Ultrafast Laser Writing: Miniaturization, Integration, and Multifunctionalities

“…Various methods, some of which were introduced three decades ago, are used for the manufacturing of GRIN elements, for example, chemical vapor deposition (CVP) [107], ion exchange [108], neutron irradiation [109], and thermal [110], UV [111], and diffusion-assisted lithography [112]. However, despite a very recent study [113], all of them lack the possibility to embody arbitrary-shaped components.…”