Low-refractive index thin films are of interest due to their applications in anti-reflective coatings. Currently, these films are made via vacuum-based techniques to make advanced anti-reflective coatings. We will describe a process to make low-index porous alumina thin films that are atomically smooth deposited from aqueous solutions containing flat-Al13 clusters and the nonionic block copolymer Pluronic F127. The films exhibit surface roughness as low as 0.5 nm, a characteristic useful for fabrication of multilayer optical devices. We have investigated the chemical, optical, and structural properties of the films and their formation by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, temperature programmed desorption, spectroscopic ellipsometry, transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. By varying the Pluronic F127 concentration, film porosities can be tuned to produce refractive indexes between n = 1.26 and 1.54 (λ = 550 nm).

Solution-processed low-refractive index alumina-based thin films for anti-reflective coatings

253rd National Meeting (2017)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.