Preparation and optical transparency of composite materials from methacrylate ester copolymers and faujasites with an embedded azo dye

Zeolites loaded with organic chromophores and embedded in a polymer matrix are of interest with respect to novel optical applications. To avoid light scattering at the zeolite particle/polymer interface the refractive index of the matrix polymer was adjusted to that of the zeolite, thus producing highly transparent composites. For this purpose an immersion method for estimating refractive indices of zeolites was developed. Copolymers of methyl methacrylate and a fluorinated methacrylate were chosen as embedding polymer matrices. Disperse Red loaded faujasites HY were synthesized and embedded in methacrylate copolymers. The wavelength-dependent optical transparency of the resulting composites was measured as a criterion for success in index matching. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.