Preparation and characterization of transparent and foldable polysiloxane-poly(methyl methacrylate) membrane with a high refractive index

In this article, carbazole-grafted methacrylic polysiloxane (MA-CZ-PDMS) macromonomer was synthesized and its structure was confirmed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H NMR). The polysiloxane macromonomer can homogeneously copolymerize with methyl methacrylate (MMA) to prepare transparent and foldable carbazole-grafted polysiloxane-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PDMS-PMMA) membranes with a high refractive index (RI). The membranes were characterized by light transmittance, RI value, and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). The results indicated that the carbazole-grafted PDMS-PMMA membranes had excellent light transmittance that decreased slightly with increasing carbazole-grafted polysiloxane content. Incorporation of carbazole-grafted polysiloxane in the materials improved its RI value; however decreased the glass transmission temperature ( T g ) that can be adjusted to less than 30°C, enable the membrane foldable at room temperature. The data demonstrate that the carbazole-grafted PDMS-PMMA membranes have a potential application as high RI intraocular lens (IOL) suitable for implantation by minimally invasive surgery. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132 , 42491.