Rao Y.Q.
The Dow Chemical Company, US
Keywords: molecular composite, nanocomposite, optical properties
Optical properties of materials are very important for many applications. One example is optical computing where photons replace electrons so that the computation speed can be further improved. In construction of optical computing devices, polymers are good candidates because of their ease of processing. However, it is known that the optical properties of polymers are limited. On method of expanding the optical properties of polymers is through the construction of hybrid materials where materials of better optical functionalities are incorporated into polymers to allow the realization of new optical properties that are not achievable using polymers alone. Another method is to explore easy processing of inorganic materials. One such example is sol-gel chemistry. In this paper, the governing principles of the optical properties of different types of hybrid polymers are explored. These hybrid polymers include nanoparticle containing polymers where the nanoparticles are transparent to light, polymer/inorganic in-situ molecular composites, and organic moiety containing inorganic materials. These understandings shed light on new design rules of novel optical materials.
Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: 1, Nanotechnology 2012: Advanced Materials, CNTs, Particles, Films and Composites (Volume 1)
Published: June 18, 2012
Pages: 620 - 623
Industry sectors: Advanced Materials & Manufacturing | Personal & Home Care, Food & Agriculture
Topics: Advanced Materials for Engineering Applications, Personal & Home Care, Food & Agriculture
ISBN: 978-1-4665-6274-5