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NIR-Triggered High-Efficiency Self-Healable Protective Optical Coating for Vision Systems
Ji-Eun Jeong1, Jae-Won Lee2, Mi Ju Bae1
1Department of Specialty Chemicals, Division of Specialty and Bio-Based Chemicals Technology, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), Ulsan44412, Republic of Korea.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|February 1, 2023
Summary
New self-healing coatings for optical components use photothermal effects for rapid scratch repair. This technology restores light signals in vision systems, even under sunlight, with low energy consumption.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Optoelectronics
Background:
- Self-healing materials are advancing to restore diverse properties, with significant industrial interest in coatings for vision system optics.
- Protection coatings for lenses in augmented reality glasses and sensors require robust self-healing capabilities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and demonstrate polythiourethane dynamic networks as self-healing protection coatings for optical components.
- To investigate the photothermal self-healing properties of these coatings under near-infrared (NIR) radiation and sunlight.
Main Methods:
- Synthesized polythiourethane dynamic networks incorporating a photothermal dye.
- Characterized optical properties (transmittance, refractive index, Abbe number) and surface hardness.
- Evaluated self-healing performance via NIR-induced temperature increase and scratch restoration on lens protectors.
Main Results:
- The optimized coating achieved ~95% transmittance, a tunable refractive index up to 1.6, a moderate Abbe number (~35), and high surface hardness (>200 MPa).
- NIR radiation (1064 nm) induced a surface temperature of 75 °C, enabling self-healing through dynamic thiourethane exchange.
- Scratched coatings on lens protectors demonstrated complete restoration of light signal integrity after NIR-induced healing.
Conclusions:
- Polythiourethane dynamic networks with photothermal dyes show great potential for self-healing optical coatings.
- The demonstrated NIR- and sunlight-induced self-healing offers a low-energy solution for maintaining optical component functionality.
- This technology is suitable for protecting optical components in advanced vision systems.
