Invention of Thermosetting and Thermoplastic Hybrid Optical Materials Containing ZrO2 Nano-Particles

A method is presented to prepare the thermosetting and thermoplastic highly transparent hybrid materials composed of ZrO2 (diameter < 10 nm) and polymers. The method includes a direct transfer of nano-sized ZrO2 particles of 4-6 nm diameter from water to toluene phase without any coagulation. The hydrophobic treatment of ZrO2 nanoparticles was achieved by adding small amount of carboxylic acid as a dispersant, toluene, and methanol to water containing ZrO2 particles, followed by successive gentle evaporations. Transparent toluene dispersion was successfully obtained by addition of carboxylic acids with the number of carbon atom higher than 4 and/or methacrylic acid. The bulk polymerization of vinyl monomers containing ZrO2 nano-particles afforded optically transparent thermosetting and thermoplastic hybrid materials with a refractive index much higher than original polymer.