Photochromic plastic object
AssigneeRodenstock GmbH
InventorsYven Rohlfing, Udo Weigand, Manfred Melzig
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A photochromic plastic object which is composed of a transparent polymeric synthetic resin material, into or onto which at least one substantially mesoporous inorganic host structure is introduced or applied containing one or more embedded organic photochromic dye molecules so as to form a photochromic nanocomposite material. In contrast to prior techniques of adding or applying the photochromic organic dyes to the monomer mixture or prepolymer of a transparent synthetic resin material in a molecular form, in the photochromic plastic article of the present invention color is generated by using the photochromic nanocomposite particles or photochromic nanocomposite structures.
Claims12
A photochromic plastic object, constructed from a polymer plastic material, wherein
- at least one essentially mesoporous inorganic host structure, which has one or more organic photochromic dyes intercalated therein to form a photochromic nanocomposite material, is introduced in or applied to said polymer plastic material;
- the pores of the host structure in which one or more organic photochromic dye molecules are intercalated have a diameter of 1.5 to 5 nm;
- said object is a spectacle lens selected from the group consisting of eyeglass lenses, sunglass lenses, safety glass lenses and protective goggles, or said object is a helmet visor, and
- the organic photochromic dyes are dyes which darken upon exposure to light and are selected from the group consisting of:
- (i) 3H-naphthopyrans, 2H-naphthopyrans, and larger ring systems derived therefrom;
- (ii) spirooxazine dyes;
- and
- (iii) mixtures of two or more of the foregoing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.