Anti-reflective plastics inspired by moths' eyes

Researchers from A*STAR's Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) and their commercial partners have developed a new plastic that reflects just 0.09 -- 0.2% of the visible light hitting its surface. This matches or betters existing anti-reflective and anti-glare plastics in the market, which typically have reported reflectivity of around 1% of visible light. Such plastics are used in anything from TV displays to windows and even solar cells. Because of the unique nanotechnology method used, the new plastic developed by IMRE maintains very low reflectivity (<0.7%) at angles up to 45˚. This means that TV viewers can have wider viewing angles with less glare and organic solar cells have larger areas for light absorption.

"The new plastic was made possible because of the unique nanoimprint expertise that we have developed at IMRE," said Dr Low Hong Yee, the senior scientist who is leading the research. Several companies are in the process of licensing the anti-reflective nanostructure technology from Exploit Technologies Pte Ltd, the technology transfer arm of A*STAR. "We are also developing complementary research that allows the technology to be easily ramped-up to an industrial scale," explained Dr Low.

This plastic material is the first successful result of the IMRE-led Industrial Consortium On Nanoimprint (ICON), which partners local and overseas companies to promote the manufacturing of nanoimprint technology. Nanoimprinting relies on engineering the physical aspects of the plastics rather than using harmful chemicals to change the properties of the plastic. The technology has allowed the researchers to create very unique, complex hierarchical 'moth eye-like' anti-reflective structures where nanometer-sized structures are placed on top of other microstructures -- different from how other similar plastics are made. This formed special patterns that are better at reducing glare and reflection and provides wider viewing angles than the current available plastics.

"This is an exciting innovation -- mimicking nature through the nanoimprint technology to solve real world problems. I am very pleased that the collaboration with industry has helped move this R&D from the laboratory to application in the industry, said Prof Andy Hor, IMRE's Executive Director. He adds, "The development of the new plastic is a testament to the strength of Singapore's advanced R&D capabilities, the benefits of nanoimprint technology and the confidence that companies place on our technologies."