Episulfide Compound Turbidity Control for Optical Material Clarity

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for producing optical materials using episulfide compounds often result in white turbidity after curing, leading to defective products and significant losses, as they fail to predict the occurrence of turbidity prior to polymerization and curing.

Innovation Solution

A product of an episulfide compound with a turbidity value of 3.0 ppm or less in acetone, measured using an integrating-sphere turbidimeter, is used to predict and prevent white turbidity in optical materials, ensuring quality before polymerization and curing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Illumination intensity

If an episulfide compound is used to produce optical materials, then the refractive index is improved, but white turbidity occurs after curing

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverefractive indexVSAvoidwhite turbidity

Core Design Contradiction:

Illumination intensityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent measures the turbidity of the episulfide compound in acetone solution before polymerization to predict and prevent white turbidity in the final optical material. This preliminary measurement allows selection of high-quality episulfide compounds that will not cause turbidity after curing, thus preventing the problem before it occurs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent establishes a feedback mechanism where the turbidity measurement result of the episulfide compound in acetone is used to control the quality of optical materials. By setting a threshold (turbidity ≤ 3.0 ppm), the system provides quantitative feedback for material selection, ensuring that only compounds meeting the quality standard are used to produce optical materials.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If white turbidity is detected after curing, then product quality is compromised, but all materials become defective products

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproduct qualityVSAvoidproduction losses

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary turbidity measurement of the episulfide compound in acetone solution before polymerization and curing processes. This early detection allows identification of suitable materials before committing to full production, preventing waste of time and resources on materials that would produce defective optical products.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses acetone solution as an intermediary medium to measure the turbidity characteristics of the episulfide compound. This intermediary measurement provides a predictive indicator of the final optical material's quality without requiring complete polymerization and curing, thus enabling early quality assessment and reducing production losses.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Difficulty of detecting and measuring

If conventional measurement methods are used, then quality prediction before curing is not possible, but quality assessment after curing is required

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvequality prediction capabilityVSAvoidquality assessment timing

Core Design Contradiction:

Difficulty of detecting and measuringVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a simplified model system by dissolving the episulfide compound in acetone to measure turbidity. This copying approach allows quality prediction in a simple, fast, and inexpensive manner without requiring the complex and time-consuming full polymerization and curing process, thus enabling early quality assessment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This approach allows for the selection of episulfide compounds that prevent white turbidity in optical materials, ensuring their quality and usability, thereby reducing production losses and improving the reliability of optical material production.

Implementation Method 1

a value of turbidity in a solution measured when the episulfide compound is dissolved in acetone... which is 3.0 ppm or less, and thus arrived at the present invention... the turbidity in acetone is measured according to JIS K0101 using an integrating-sphere turbidimeter

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectLight scattering: Scattering

Data Source

PatentEP3133098B1Composition for optical material and method for producing same, and optical material produced from composition for optical material

Publication Date: 2022.11.09 MITSUBISHI GAS CHEM CO INC

AI summary

According to the present invention, a composition for an optical material can be provided, which is characterized by containing an episulfide compound having a value of turbidity in acetone of 3.0 ppm or less. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a composition for an optical material can be provided, which comprises: (a) a compound (an episulfide compound) which has a structure represented by formula (1) and has a value of turbidity in acetone of 3.0 ppm or less; (b) a polyisocyanate compound; and (c) a polythiol compound. (In the formula, m represents an integer of 0 to 4; and n represents an integer of 0 or 1.)