No CrossRef data available.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 January 2011
Polymers are receiving considerable attention as components in novel optical systems because of the tailored functionality, easy manufacturing, and relatively low cost. The processing of layered polymeric systems by coextrusion is a method to produce films comprising hundreds to thousands of alternating layers with thickness spanning the nanoscale to microscale in a single, one-step roll-to-roll process. Several layered polymer optical systems have been fabricated by coextrusion, including tunable refractive index elastomers, photonic crystals, and mechanically tunable photonic crystals. Layered polymeric optical systems made by coextrusion can also incorporate active components such as laser dyes for all-polymer laser systems.