A Novel Reactive Lamination Process for the Generation of Functional Multilayer Foils for Optical Applications

Abstract

Lamination processes are a wide spread method to generate polymer multilayer foils where foils with different functions are stacked on top of each other. However, the process is limited to compatible materials because sufficient adhesion between the different layers relies on the interdiffusion of polymer chains from one material to the other. In this paper, we report on a new reactive lamination process which leads to a stable connection between sheets of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and a cyclic olefin copolymer (COC). This connection is mediated by using a compatibilizing layer consisting of a photo- or thermoreactive PMMA-copolymer. These polymers generate chemical bonds to both foils, leading to a strong adhesion between them. Initial tests show that the adhesion between the two foils is typically stronger than the cohesion of the weaker of the two materials.