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Preparation of gradient‐index (GRIN) polymer fibers for imaging applications
Author(s) -
Chen W. C.,
Chen J. H.,
Yang S. Y.,
Cherng J. Y.,
Chang Y. H.,
Ho B. C.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-4628(19960531)60:9<1379::aid-app13>3.0.co;2-y
Subject(s) - polymer , materials science , refractive index , polymer science , index (typography) , composite material , polymer chemistry , computer science , optoelectronics , world wide web
A closed extrusion process combined with a core‐shell separation die design is developed in this study for preparing gradient index (GRIN) polymer fibers with a quadratic distribution of the refractive index. The material system used in this investigation is methyl methacrylate (MMA, n = 1.49) and benzyl methacrylate (BzMA, n = 1.568). The refractive index differences between the center and the periphery (Δ n ) of the prepared polymer fibers increase from 0.0115 to 0.020 when BzMA in the reactant mixtures increases from 17 to 28%. This finding would suggest that increasing the high refractive index monomer in the reactant mixture increased Δ n . The Δ n values decrease from 0.018 to 0.0135 when the diffusion zone temperature increases from 70 to 90°C. The diffusion rates of the monomers increase with the temperature, thereby causing BzMA and MMA to distribute more uniformly at a higher temperature than at a lower one. This uniform distribution leads to the decrease of Δ n with an increasing temperature. The prepared GRIN polymer fibers have potential applications as imaging lenses for scanners, fax machines, and copiers. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.