Rigid-Rod Plastics for Optical Components

Molding of plastic optical components is a rapidly growing technology driven by excellent cost-performance ratios. On the one hand, because they are soft, plastics are very inexpensive to process. On the other hand, plastics are very easy to damage, especially by abrasion. We propose to develop an optical grade of Poly-X+ rigid-rod polymers. Optical elements molded of Poly-X+ resins are expected to be much more resistant to scratching than comparable polycarbonate or PMMA parts. Phase I work will include a study of the transmissive properties of Poly-X+ materials, a demonstration that lenses can be injection molded from Poly-X+, and hardness and abrasion resistance testing of the molded parts. Poly-X+ could eventually become the material of choice for most optical components. On a more limited scale, Poly-X+ will be valuable for optical components which are subject to harsh environments, including applications where wear and abrasion resistance are necessary.