Hydrothermal synthesis of ZnO@polysiloxane microspheres and their application in preparing optical diffusers

Abstract

In this study, optical diffusers based on ZnO@polysiloxane microsphere fillers were successfully prepared by a solvent-free UV curing process. ZnO@polysiloxane microspheres were synthesized via a highly efficient and facile hydrothermal synthetic method. The microscope analysis revealed that the ZnO@polysiloxane microspheres were about 6–8 μm in diameter. The optical properties of the diffusers were also measured for the first time. The results suggest that the novel diffuser based on ZnO@polysiloxane microsphere fillers possessed suitable light transmittance, good diffusion capacity, and low incident angle dependence. In addition, its tunable optical diffusing capacity relied on the amount of ZnO@polysiloxane microsphere fillers. When the concentration of the ZnO@polysiloxane microspheres was as high as 15 wt%, the diffusing properties of the novel diffusers reached the level of a commercially available diffuser. Therefore, the new fillers can be widely used for the preparation of multifunctional diffusion materials such as touch-panel functions, monitors, military projectors, and TVs.