Polymer host materials for optical limiting

Two polymer systems including polymer elastomers and gels have been studied as host materials for optical limiting applications. Both systems have high laser damage thresholds (LDT), typically 20 to 35 times higher than commercial PMMA bulk materials. For the polymer elastomers, Epotek optical epoxy 301-2 and 310, the LDT increases with an increase of the molecular flexibility. We speculate that the thermo-mechanical fracture may be the mechanism for the laser induced damage. For the hydrogel system, the LDT increases with increasing water content. The mobility of the water plays a key role in determining the LDT by facilitating laser energy dissipation and self-healing. It appears that the polymer elastomer and hydrogel systems both have potential for high power laser applications.