Polythiourethane Casting Resin Impact Resistance

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current polythiourethane cast resins face challenges in achieving high impact resistance and refractive index without compromising optical properties or increasing specific weight, often requiring expensive or hard-to-find special chemicals and involving multi-stage synthesis processes.

Innovation Solution

A one-stage method for producing polyurethane cast resin by mixing dithiols with specific isocyanates, followed by degassing and hardening, using dithiols like ethane-1,2-dithiol and isophorone diisocyanate to achieve high refractive index and impact resistance without the need for expensive chemicals, while maintaining low specific weight.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Illumination intensity

If special isocyanates such as norbornane diisocyanate are used to achieve high refraction index and good thermostability, then optical properties are improved, but manufacturing cost increases and availability decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverefraction indexVSAvoidmanufacturing cost
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces expensive, commercially unavailable special isocyanates (norbornane diisocyanate) with cheaper, readily available alternatives (isophorone diisocyanate, dicyclohexylmethane diisocyanate, hexamethylene diisocyanate, trimethylhexamethylene diisocyanate, α.α.α′.α′-tetramethyl-xylylene diisocyanate, or xylylene diisocyanate). This substitution maintains the required refraction index (≥1.60) and optical properties while significantly reducing manufacturing cost and improving availability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

2Illumination intensity

If cast resins are optimized for high refraction index, then optical properties are improved, but impact resistance decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverefraction indexVSAvoidimpact resistance
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The patent achieves the simultaneous optimization of optical properties and impact resistance by changing the chemical composition parameters of the thiol component. Specifically, it uses dithiols with formula (I) HS—[CH2CH2—S]x—CH2CH2—SH (where x=0-5) in a controlled amount (5-50 wt%, especially 5-30 wt%). This compositional parameter change enables the polymer to achieve both high refraction index (≥1.60) and high impact resistance (passing FDA Drop Ball test) without compromising either property.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Strength

If multi-stage synthesis is used to produce sulfur-containing pre-polymers, then impact resistance and optical properties are improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimpact resistanceVSAvoidsynthesis process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple synthesis stages into a single-stage process. Instead of first producing sulfur-containing pre-polymers of the oligourea type and then hardening them with amines, polyols or polythiols in separate stages, the invention directly reacts isocyanate component (B) with thiol component (A) containing dithiols of formula (I) in one step to produce the final polythiourethane cast resin. This consolidation maintains high impact resistance and optical properties while significantly reducing manufacturing complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Illumination intensity

If conventional polythiourethane compositions are used, then optical properties are achieved, but specific weight increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoptical propertiesVSAvoidspecific weight
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the molecular structure parameters of the thiol component by using dithiols with formula (I) HS—[CH2CH2—S]x—CH2CH2—SH (x=0-5), which have optimized sulfur content and chain structure. This parameter change enables the cast resin to achieve high refraction index (≥1.60) and good optical properties while maintaining low specific weight (≤1.23 g/cm³), overcoming the conventional trade-off between optical performance and weight.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

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

The method results in cast resins with refractive index ≥1.60, high impact resistance, and low density ≤1.23 g/cm3, suitable for electronic and optoelectronic components, and optical lenses, without the need for multi-stage synthesis or special chemicals, ensuring good optical and mechanical properties.

Implementation Method 1

Mixing at least one thiol component (A) with at least one isocyanate component (B)... Hardening of the polyurethane polymer

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPolymerization: Chemical Bonding

Data Source

PatentUS9994667B2Polythiourethane-based casting resin having high fracture resistance and low specific weight
Publication Date: 2018.06.12 BRUNO BOCK GMBH

AI summary

The invention has as subject matter a method for producing a polyurethane cast resin, wherein the production comprises the steps of mixing at least one thiol component with at least one isocyanate component, degassing of the mixture and hardening of the polyurethane polymer in a one-stage process. Cast resins for electronic or optoelectronic components of for the production of optical lenses are obtained by the method of the invention that have good mechanical properties and very good optical properties at the same time by a suitable combination of polythiols as hardening component with commercially available isocyanates. The addition of special isocyanates is also not very necessary, as is the case for carrying out the method in several stages. The method in accordance with the invention results in an economical, one-stage process in the properties of the cast resin that are necessary for the application range.