Abstract
Optical polymers cover only a rather narrow range of optical properties. This is a limiting factor for the design of polymer-based optical systems such as smartphone cameras. Moreover, it also poses a problem for femtosecond two-photon lithography, which is a state-of-the-art technology to 3D print high-quality optics from photopolymers. To overcome the limitations of conventional polymers, we introduce nano-inks based on the commonly used photopolymers IP-DIP and IP-S as polymer matrix and zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) nanoparticles. We show that the refractive index and dispersion of these nano-inks can be purposefully tailored by varying the constituent materials and the volume fraction of the nanoparticles. Furthermore, we demonstrate the suitability of our nano-inks for optical applications by 3D printing single micro-lenses and a multi-material achromatic Fraunhofer doublet. Our findings confirm that nanocomposites expand the range of optical properties that are accessible for polymer-based systems and allow for the design of tailored optical materials.
Highlights
In optical design, the use of materials spanning a wide range of optical properties is a powerful tool for correcting both chromatic and monochromatic aberrations [1]
Optical polymers cover only a rather narrow range of optical properties. This is a limiting factor for the design of polymer-based optical systems such as smartphone cameras. It poses a problem for femtosecond two-photon lithography, which is a stateof-the-art technology to 3D print high-quality optics from photopolymers
This is a limiting factor for the design of optical systems relying on polymers, e.g. those that are manufactured by techniques such as femtosecond two-photon direct laser writing [20,21,22]
Summary
The use of materials spanning a wide range of optical properties is a powerful tool for correcting both chromatic and monochromatic aberrations [1]. As visualized by the blue area, polymers are restricted to much smaller refractive indices than optical glasses [4,18,19] This is a limiting factor for the design of optical systems relying on polymers, e.g. those that are manufactured by techniques such as femtosecond two-photon direct laser writing [20,21,22]. A recent general analysis based on the Maxwell-Garnett-Mie effective medium theory [24,25,26] has proposed that nanocomposites could serve as a platform of nextgeneration optical materials that allows for tailoring both the magnitude and the dispersion of the effective refractive index within wide regions [23]. We discuss what further steps are required to unlock the full potential of nanocomposites as next-generation optical materials and highlight that nano-inks are promising materials for other applications
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