Deformable Antireflection Coatings from Polymer and Nanoparticle Multilayers

Abstract

Antireflection (AR) coatings that retain favorable optical properties during the deformation of a flexible lens have been prepared by depositing silica nanoparticles and poly(diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride) on polydimethylsiloxane substrates via layer-by-layer assembly (see figure, 5 μm × 5 μm). Only a modest drop in transmission levels was observed during lens deformation, indicating that nanoparticle-containing multilayers can function as deformable AR coatings.