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Bayfol® HX photopolymer films prove themselves as easy-to-process recording materials for volume holographic optical elements (vHOEs) and are available in customized grades at industrial scale. Their full-color (RGB) recording and replay capabilities are two of their major advantages. Moreover, the adjustable diffraction efficiency, tunable angular and spectral selectivity of vHOEs recorded into Bayfol® HX as well as their unmatched optical clarity enables superior invisible “off Bragg” optical functionality. As a film product, the replication of vHOEs in Bayfol® HX can be carried out in a highly cost-efficient and purely photonic roll-to-roll (R2R) process. Utilizing thermoplastic substrates, Bayfol® HX was demonstrated to be compatible to state-of-the-art plastic processing techniques like thermoforming, film insert molding and casting, all enabled using a variety of industry-proven integration technologies for vHOEs. Therefore, Bayfol® HX made its way in applications in the field of augmented reality such as Head-up-Displays (HUD) and Headmounted- Displays (HMD), in free-space combiners, in plastic optical waveguides, and in transparent screens. Also, vHOEs made from Bayfol® HX are utilized in highly sophisticated spectrometers in astronomy as well as in narrow band notch filters for eyeglasses against laser strikes. Based on a well-established toolbox, Bayfol® HX can be adopted for a variety of applications. To further offer access to more applications in sensing and continuously improve the performance in existing applications, we recently extended our chemical toolbox to address both the sensitization beyond RGB into the Near Infrared Region (NIR) and increase the achievable index modulation Δn1 beyond 0.06. In this paper, we will report on our latest developments in these fields.

Bayfol® HX photopolymer films prove themselves as easy-to-process recording materials for volume holographic optical elements (vHOEs) and are available in customized grades at industrial scale. Their full-color (RGB) recording and replay capabilities are two of their major advantages. Moreover, the adjustable diffraction efficiency, tunable angular and spectral selectivity of vHOEs recorded into Bayfol® HX as well as their unmatched optical clarity enables superior invisible “off Bragg” optical functionality. As a film product, the replication of vHOEs in Bayfol® HX can be carried out in a highly cost-efficient and purely photonic roll-to-roll (R2R) process. Utilizing thermoplastic substrates, Bayfol® HX was demonstrated to be compatible to state-of-the-art plastic processing techniques like thermoforming, film insert molding and casting, all enabled using a variety of industry-proven integration technologies for vHOEs. Therefore, Bayfol® HX made its way in applications in the field of augmented reality such as Head-up-Displays (HUD) and Headmounted- Displays (HMD), in free-space combiners, in plastic optical waveguides, and in transparent screens. Also, vHOEs made from Bayfol® HX are utilized in highly sophisticated spectrometers in astronomy as well as in narrow band notch filters for eyeglasses against laser strikes. Based on a well-established toolbox, Bayfol® HX can be adopted for a variety of applications. To further offer access to more applications in sensing and continuously improve the performance in existing applications, we recently extended our chemical toolbox to address both the sensitization beyond RGB into the Near Infrared Region (NIR) and increase the achievable index modulation un1 beyond 0.06. In this paper, we will report on our latest developments in these fields.

Bayfol® HX photopolymer films prove themselves as easy-to-process recording materials for volume holographic optical elements (vHOEs) and are available in customized grades at industrial scale. Their full-color (RGB) recording and replay capabilities are two of their major advantages. Moreover, the adjustable diffraction efficiency, tunable angular and spectral selectivity of vHOEs recorded into Bayfol® HX as well as their unmatched optical clarity enables superior invisible "off Bragg" optical functionality. As a film product, the replication of vHOEs in Bayfol® HX can be carried out in a highly cost-efficient and purely photonic roll-to-roll (R2R) process. Utilizing thermoplastic substrates, Bayfol® HX was demonstrated to be compatible to state-of-the-art plastic processing techniques like thermoforming, film insert molding and casting, all enabled using a variety of industry-proven integration technologies for vHOEs. Therefore, Bayfol® HX made its way in applications in the field of augmented reality such as Head-up-Displays (HUD) and Headmounted- Displays (HMD), in free-space combiners, in plastic optical waveguides, and in transparent screens. Also, vHOEs made from Bayfol® HX are utilized in highly sophisticated spectrometers in astronomy as well as in narrow band notch filters for eyeglasses against laser strikes. Based on a well-established toolbox, Bayfol® HX can be adopted for a variety of applications. To further offer access to more applications in sensing and continuously improve the performance in existing applications, we recently extended our chemical toolbox to address both the sensitization beyond RGB into the Near Infrared Region (NIR) and increase the achievable index modulation un1 beyond 0.06. In this paper, we will report on our latest developments in these fields.

Bayfol HX photopolymer films prove themselves as easy-to-process recording materials for volume holographic optical elements (vHOEs) and are available at industrial scale. Their full-color (RGB) recording and replay capabilities are two of their major advantages. Bayfol HX is compatible to plastic processing techniques like thermoforming, film insert molding and casting. Therefore, Bayfol HX made its way in applications in the field of augmented reality such as Head-up-Displays (HUD) and Head-mounted-Displays (HMD), in free-space combiners, in plastic optical waveguides, and in transparent screens. Bayfol HX can be adopted for a variety of applications. To offer access to more applications, we address the sensitization into the Near Infrared Region (NIR) and increase the achievable index modulation Δn1 beyond 0.06. In this paper, we will report on our latest developments in these fields.

See-through optical components are being intensively studied in applications such as Head-up-displays (HUD) and Head-mounted-displays (HMD). In particular, volume holographic optical elements (vHOE) have received a lot of attention due to their unique optical (angular and spectral selectivity) and mechanical (lightweight and thin) characteristics which make them perfectly suitable for use in integrated optical components like spectacle lenses and car windshields. Bayfol® HX photopolymer films prove themselves as easy to process recording materials for vHOEs. The Bayfol® HX instantly developing holographic photopolymer film provides full color capability and adjustable diffraction efficiency as well as an unprecedented optical clarity when compared to classical volume holographic recording materials like silver halide emulsions (AgX) or dichromated gelatin (DCG). Besides the recording step, no pre- or postprocessing is necessary and easy mass production of vHOEs in a completely dry roll to roll process is possible. The layout of a typical Bayfol® HX film consists of a light-sensitive photopolymer layer coated onto a transparent substrate and protected on the other side by a cover film. The substrate is particularly beneficial, not only for easy handling of the film during holographic recording, but also for further mechanical processing steps which are required to embed the film into a finished optical component. However for certain applications it is desirable to remove the substrate before or after recording. This will allow the user to make full use of the high flexibility of the photopolymer layer, for example if it comes to curved surfaces that have to be covered. Also more complex stack geometries can be realized in which the photopolymer layer could be embedded in optically well designed cavities or mechanically demanding setups. To facilitate this, we developed Bayfol® HX film grades in which the substrate has a lower adhesion to the photopolymer layer compared to the protective cover film. Therefor the substrate can be removed first in contrast to existing Bayfol® HX film grades which only allow to remove the protective cover film. On the other hand the adhesion of the protective cover film can also be well controlled, so that it can be specifically selected according to the needs of the surface to which the photopolymer layer has to be transferred to. In this paper we demonstrate versatile application processes making use of these transfer grades of Bayfol® HX films with respect to adhesion design, integration in complex stacks and application on curved surfaces.

See-through optical components are being intensively studied in applications such as Head-up-displays (HUD) and Head-mounted-displays (HMD). In particular, volume holographic optical elements (vHOE) have received a lot of attention due to their unique optical (angular and spectral selectivity) and mechanical (lightweight and thin) characteristics which make them perfectly suitable for use in integrated optical components like spectacle lenses and car windshields. Bayfol® HX photopolymer films prove themselves as easy to process recording materials for vHOEs. The Bayfol® HX instantly developing holographic photopolymer film provides full color capability and adjustable diffraction efficiency as well as an unprecedented optical clarity when compared to classical volume holographic recording materials like silver halide emulsions (AgX) or dichromated gelatin (DCG). Besides the recording step, no pre- or postprocessing is necessary and easy mass production of vHOEs in a completely dry roll to roll process is possible. The layout of a typical Bayfol® HX film consists of a light-sensitive photopolymer layer coated onto a transparent substrate and protected on the other side by a cover film. The substrate is particularly beneficial, not only for easy handling of the film during holographic recording, but also for further mechanical processing steps which are required to embed the film into a finished optical component. However for certain applications it is desirable to remove the substrate before or after recording. This will allow the user to make full use of the high flexibility of the photopolymer layer, for example if it comes to curved surfaces that have to be covered. Also more complex stack geometries can be realized in which the photopolymer layer could be embedded in optically well designed cavities or mechanically demanding setups. To facilitate this, we developed Bayfol® HX film grades in which the substrate has a lower adhesion to the photopolymer layer compared to the protective cover film. Therefor the substrate can be removed first in contrast to existing Bayfol® HX film grades which only allow to remove the protective cover film. On the other hand the adhesion of the protective cover film can also be well controlled, so that it can be specifically selected according to the needs of the surface to which the photopolymer layer has to be transferred to. In this paper we demonstrate versatile application processes making use of these transfer grades of Bayfol® HX films with respect to adhesion design, integration in complex stacks and application on curved surfaces.

The use of fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) materials, made of a polymer matrix and reinforcing fibers, has been growing in the aerospace, automotive, and construction industries, where light weight, excellent mechanical properties, and corrosion resistance are desired. In most of these applications, a thermosetting polymer like unsaturated polyester, epoxy, or polyurethane is preferred. Although FRP materials deliver highly differentiated performance, they struggle to achieve long term Ultraviolet (UV) and weathering resistance. They all contain aromatic monomer units that absorb UV light, causing degradation of the polymer matrix. End markets continue to clamor the composite industry for better FRP solutions for outdoor applications. Herein we present a new thermoset technology, Desmocomp®, based on aliphatic polyisocyanates, which are unaffected by UV radiation and have excellent weathering resistance. These novel composites are particularly suitable for outdoor applications. This technology has proven to have low inherent flammability and high chemical resistance. Additionally, it is easy to process the liquid resin in fabricating composite materials. The liquid resin has long pot life at room temperature and shows rapid curing at elevated temperatures. Therefore, this technology is readily applicable to established composite manufacturing processes such as pultrusion.