Method for regulating color of color layer of color pupil by electric field

Abstract

The application discloses a method for diversifying color layers of color contact lenses by electric field regulation, which comprises the following steps: S1, preparing a front base and a rear base of the lens; S2, injecting liquid metal into the concave surface of the front base of the lens, and then injecting electrolyte; S3, arranging a working electrode and a counter electrode; S4, forming an oxide film on the surface of the liquid metal by electrification; S5, continuously electrifying to make the oxide film generate gradually accumulated stress, and after exceeding a critical value, making the surface of the oxide film buckle and form wrinkles; S6, adjusting the relative positions of the working electrode and the counter electrode to make the oxide film form a required wrinkle pattern; S7, making the oxide film adhere to the concave surface of the front base of the lens; and S8, combining the rear base of the lens with the front base of the lens in step S7 to complete the preparation of the lens. The gallium oxide film with the wrinkle microstructure and the front base of the contact lens form an equal-thickness interference, and under the irradiation of external light, the reflected light can exhibit light and shade and color changes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention specifically relates to a method for diversifying the color layers of colored contact lenses by controlling the electric field. Background Technology

[0002] Colored contact lenses are corneal contact lenses used for cosmetic and decorative purposes. They feature unique colors that can alter the appearance of the wearer's iris. Currently, colored contact lenses are primarily manufactured using transfer printing techniques to deposit a pigment layer between two contact lens layers. While this method is quite mature, the shape of the transfer printing tools limits the creation of a single pattern of color layer, making it difficult to meet the market's demand for diverse colored contact lenses. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, the present invention aims to provide a method for diversifying the color layers of colored contact lenses by controlling the electric field.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0005] A method for diversifying the color layer of colored contact lenses using an electric field includes the following steps:

[0006] S1. Fabricate the anterior and posterior bases of the lens;

[0007] S2. Inject liquid metal into the concave surface of the lens base, and then inject electrolyte.

[0008] S3. Arrange the working electrode and the counter electrode, wherein the working electrode passes through the electrolyte and contacts the liquid metal, and the counter electrode contacts the surface of the electrolyte;

[0009] S4. When energized, the working electrode becomes the anode and the counter electrode becomes the cathode, forming an oxide film on the surface of the liquid metal.

[0010] S5. Continuous energization causes the oxide film to gradually accumulate stress, and after exceeding the critical value, the oxide film surface buckles and wrinkles are formed.

[0011] S6. By adjusting the relative positions of the working electrode and the counter electrode, the desired wrinkle pattern is formed in the oxide film.

[0012] S7. Remove the working electrode and the counter electrode, and remove the residual liquid metal and electrolyte in the concave surface of the lens front base, so that the oxide film adheres to the concave surface of the lens front base.

[0013] S8. Attach the lens back base to the lens front base from step S7 to complete the lens preparation.

[0014] The front and back bases of the lens are made of hydrophilic, oxygen-permeable polymer gel materials.

[0015] The liquid metal is gallium, gallium indium tin alloy, or metal or alloy material with a melting point below 200°C.

[0016] The working electrode and the counter electrode are made of an inert conductive material.

[0017] The inert conductive material is any one of noble metals, metal oxides, carbon and its derivatives and alloys.

[0018] The electrolyte is a salt solution containing water or an organic solvent, or a molten salt.

[0019] In step S6, the magnitude of the current, the strength of the electric field, or the distribution of the electric field are controlled in real time, thereby controllably forming the desired wrinkled pattern.

[0020] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: This method can utilize the gradient and vector nature of the electric field to control the shape of the color layer in the colored contact lens during the manufacturing process, thereby achieving diversified designs of the color layer without redesigning the colored contact lens manufacturing equipment. The gallium oxide thin film with a wrinkled microstructure and the contact lens front substrate form equal-thickness interference, which allows the reflected light to exhibit brightness and color changes under external light illumination. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the process of electric field modulation of the color layer of the colored contact lens according to the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of electric field-controlled colored contact lens color layer of the present invention, where A represents liquid metal element.

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the color-changing principle of the colored contact lens layer in this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0025] It should be noted that all directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) in the embodiments of the present invention are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of each component in a certain specific posture (as shown in the figure). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0026] This invention discloses a method for diversifying the color layer of colored contact lenses using an electric field, comprising the following steps:

[0027] S1. Fabricate the anterior and posterior bases of the lens;

[0028] S2. Inject liquid metal into the concave surface of the lens base, and then inject electrolyte.

[0029] S3. Arrange the working electrode and the counter electrode, wherein the working electrode passes through the electrolyte and contacts the liquid metal, and the counter electrode contacts the surface of the electrolyte;

[0030] S4. When energized, the working electrode becomes the anode and the counter electrode becomes the cathode, forming an oxide film on the surface of the liquid metal.

[0031] S5. Continuous energization causes the oxide film to gradually accumulate stress, and after exceeding the critical value, the oxide film surface buckles and wrinkles are formed.

[0032] S6. By adjusting the relative positions of the working electrode and the counter electrode, the desired wrinkle pattern is formed in the oxide film.

[0033] S7. Remove the working electrode and the counter electrode, and remove the residual liquid metal and electrolyte in the concave surface of the lens front base, so that the oxide film adheres to the concave surface of the lens front base.

[0034] S8. Attach the lens back base to the lens front base from step S7 to complete the lens preparation.

[0035] Example 1

[0036] This invention discloses a method for diversifying the color layer of colored contact lenses using an electric field, such as... Figure 1 As shown, liquid gallium metal is injected into the concave surface of the contact mirror front base, followed by the injection of an electrolyte. A working electrode and a counter electrode are then deployed, with the working electrode penetrating the electrolyte layer and contacting the liquid gallium metal, while the counter electrode only contacts the electrolyte layer at its edge. An external power source is used to make the working electrode in contact with the liquid gallium metal the anode, and the counter electrode in contact with the electrolyte the cathode. Under the influence of the anode, the liquid gallium metal loses electrons to become gallium ions (Ga ions). 3+ ) and oxygen ions (O) in the electrolyte 2- ) combine to form solid gallium oxide (Ga2O3), such as Figure 2As shown, this process, under the influence of electrical energy, forms a thin layer of solid gallium oxide on the surface of the liquid metal. Surface tension causes this solid gallium oxide layer to float on the surface of the liquid metal layer. Furthermore, this solid gallium oxide layer thickens with increasing current intensity and duration, generating gradually accumulating stress within the solid gallium oxide film. As the stress further accumulates and exceeds the system's critical conditions, the gallium oxide film buckles and forms wrinkles. By adjusting the relative positions of the working electrode and the counter electrode, the direction of the electric field lines can be adjusted, thus forming a wrinkled pattern on the gallium oxide film. Subsequently, the electrodes, electrolyte, and remaining liquid gallium metal are removed. The wrinkled gallium oxide film, having lost the support of the liquid metal layer, adheres to the concave surface of the contact lens front substrate. Finally, the contact lens back substrate and the contact lens front substrate are combined, thereby encapsulating the wrinkled gallium oxide film within the colored contact lens. Under external light, the gallium oxide thin film with its wrinkled microstructure and the front substrate of the contact mirror form equal-thickness interference, thus causing the reflected light to exhibit variations in brightness and color, such as... Figure 3 As shown.

[0037] The front and back substrates of the contact lens are hydrophilic and oxygen-permeable polymeric gel materials.

[0038] The liquid metals mentioned mainly refer to gallium and other materials that are liquid at room temperature but can be transformed into solid films or undergo cross-linking reactions to form films under electrochemical reactions.

[0039] The working electrode and the counter electrode are made of an inert conductive material, such as noble metals (gold, platinum, etc.), metal oxides (iridium oxide, titanium oxide, etc.), carbon and its derivatives (carbon, graphite, graphene, carbon nanotubes, carbon nanowires, carbon nanoparticles), and alloys (stainless steel, titanium nitride, etc.).

[0040] The electrolyte is a salt solution containing water or an organic solvent, or a molten salt.

[0041] The embodiments should not be regarded as limitations on the present invention, but any improvements made based on the spirit of the present invention should be within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for diversifying the color layers of colored contact lenses using an electric field, characterized in that: It includes the following steps: S1. Fabricate the anterior and posterior bases of the lens; S2. Inject liquid metal into the concave surface of the lens base, and then inject electrolyte. S3. Arrange the working electrode and the counter electrode, wherein the working electrode passes through the electrolyte and contacts the liquid metal, and the counter electrode contacts the surface of the electrolyte; S4. When energized, the working electrode becomes the anode and the counter electrode becomes the cathode, forming an oxide film on the surface of the liquid metal. S5. Continuous energization causes the oxide film to gradually accumulate stress, and after exceeding the critical value, the oxide film surface buckles and wrinkles are formed. S6. By adjusting the relative positions of the working electrode and the counter electrode, the desired wrinkle pattern is formed in the oxide film. S7. Remove the working electrode and the counter electrode, and remove the residual liquid metal and electrolyte in the concave surface of the lens front base, so that the oxide film adheres to the concave surface of the lens front base. S8. Attach the lens back base to the lens front base from step S7 to complete the lens preparation.

2. The method for diversifying the color layer of colored contact lenses by electric field modulation according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front and back bases of the lens are made of hydrophilic, oxygen-permeable polymer gel materials.

3. The method for diversifying the color layer of colored contact lenses by electric field modulation according to claim 1, characterized in that: The liquid metal is gallium, gallium indium tin alloy, or metal or alloy material with a melting point below 200°C.

4. The method for diversifying the color layer of colored contact lenses by electric field modulation according to claim 1, characterized in that: The working electrode and the counter electrode are made of an inert conductive material.

5. The method for diversifying the color layer of colored contact lenses by electric field modulation according to claim 4, characterized in that: The inert conductive material is any one of noble metals, metal oxides, carbon and its derivatives and alloys.

6. The method for diversifying the color layer of colored contact lenses by electric field modulation according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electrolyte is a salt solution containing water or an organic solvent, or a molten salt.

7. The method for diversifying the color layer of colored contact lenses by electric field modulation according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S6, the magnitude of the current, the strength of the electric field, or the distribution of the electric field are controlled in real time, thereby controllably forming the desired wrinkled pattern.

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