The UVHN coating material matrix has significant commercial applications, including transparent abrasion-resistant coatings in the fabrication of silica micro-optics, including microlens arrays, diffractive optics, binary optics, diffusers, dye immobilization in laser rods, and protective coatings. In the field of biomedical optics, sol-gel-based diffractive elements and Fresnel lenses are essential elements of endoscopes and microlasers. Passive sol-gel-based micro-optical elements can also be used in integrated optical devices and optical components. In addition, in high-power laser sources, sol-gel-based silica would be ideal because it has high temperature and laser damage thresholds. There is a very high probability for commercialization in applications such as sport goggles, auto windshields, windows in public transit vehicles, armored cars for law enforcement and VIP protection, and solar panels.
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