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US 10,517,992 B2Granted
Light-triggered shape-changeable hydrogels and their use in optical devices
AssigneeCalifornia Institute of Technology
InventorRobert H. Grubbs
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention is directed to optical hydrogels, whose shape and/or refractive indices can be catalyzed by the application of light, methods of preparing the same, and optical devices and lenses derived therefrom.
Claims38
An optical device comprising an optical hydrogel composition, the optical hydrogel composition comprising:
- at least one hydrophilic (meth)acrylate polymer or copolymer and at least one hydrophobic (meth)acrylate polymer or copolymer, wherein the hydrophilic and/or hydrophobic polymer or copolymer are crosslinked with photocleavable linkages;
- said optical hydrogel composition being transparent to at least one wavelength of light in a range of from about 200 to about 1000 nm;
- and
- said photocleavable linkages being receptive to cleavage with an application of at least one activating wavelength of light in a range of from about 200 nm and about 1000 nm;
- wherein the photocleavable linkages:
- (a) comprise a nitrobenzyl-ether moiety, a nitroindoline-ether moiety, a p-hydroxyphenacyl moiety, or a combination thereof;
- or
- (b) are prepared by copolymerizing (meth)acrylate monomers with a compound having a structure:
- or
- (c) are a combination of both (a) and (b).
7 more elements
An optical device comprising an optical hydrogel composition, the optical hydrogel composition comprising
- at least one hydrophilic (meth)acrylate polymer or copolymer and at least one hydrophobic (meth)acrylate polymer or copolymer, wherein the hydrophilic and/or hydrophobic polymer or copolymer are crosslinked with photocleavable linkages, wherein the photocleavable linkages comprise a coumarin moiety, a nitrobenzyl-ether moiety, a nitroindoline-ether moiety, or a p-hydroxyphenacyl moiety, or a combination thereof,
- the optical hydrogel composition containing separate regions of different crosslink densities resulting from the selective cleavage of the photocleavable linkages in the separate regions of the optical hydrogel composition;
- and
- wherein:
- (a) the optical hydrogel composition is transparent to at least one wavelength of light in a range of from about 200 to about 1000 nm;
- (b) the photocleavable linkages are receptive to cleavage with an application of at least one activating wavelength of light in a range of from about 200 nm and about 1000 nm;
- and
- (c) the separate regions of different crosslink densities contain different distributions of water.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.