A Transparent Photoresist Made of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticle-Embedded Acrylic Resin with a Tunable Refractive Index for UV-Imprint Lithography

Transparent photoresists with a high refractive index (RI) and high transmittance in visible wavelengths have promising functionalities in optical fields. This work reports a kind of tunable optical material composed of titanium dioxide nanoparticles embedded in acrylic resin with a high RI for ultraviolet (UV)-imprint lithography. The hybrid film exhibits a tunable RI of up to 1.67 (589 nm) after being cured by UV light, while maintaining both a high transparency of over 98% in the visible light range and a low haze of less than 0.05%. The precision machining of optical microstructures can be imprinted easily and efficiently using the hybrid resin, which acts as a light guide plate (LGP) to guide the light from the side to the top in order to conserve the energy of the display device. These preliminary studies based on both laboratory and commercial experiments pave the way for exploiting the unparalleled optical properties of nanocomposite resins and promoting their industrial application.