Bendable optical diffuser constructed by interfacial hydrogen-bonding polymer complexation

Abstract

Bendable optical diffuser is an indispensable photon management element in various flexible display devices. Interfacial hydrogen bonding complexation of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVPON) and polymer complex nanoparticles (PCNP) can produce an effective optical diffuser layer on rigid quartz or glass substrate. However, the layer deposited on the flexible poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrate will rupture during the drying and dehydration process. Here, we propose a strategy to toughen the PVPON/PCNP layer, preventing its break on PET substrate when hygroscopic condition changed. The resulting layer maintains the high performance of optical diffusion. More than 10,000 times bending fatigue testing confirms that the toughened optical diffusion layer has better bending resistance than the commercially available PET/PMMA diffuser used in liquid crystal display (LCD).