Dye-doped sol-gel coatings for near-infrared laser protection

Sol-gel technology was used to fabricate two types of near-infrared absorbing dye-doped polyceram coatings for eye protection purposes against laser radiation. Tolerance of polycarbonate visors against mechanical and chemical stresses may be enhanced by using these coatings. The visible light transmission maxima of high-quality 35 and 25 μm-thick spray-coated polyceram coatings were 70% and 90% for methacrylic and propyl functionalities, respectively. Optical densities at 1064 nm were 4 and 2.