The novel optical diffusers based on the fillers of boehmite hollow microspheres

• Boehmite hollow microspheres used as optical diffusing fillers of diffusers.
• Novel optical diffusers with low incident angle dependence.
• Novel diffusers possessed suitable light transmittance and good diffusion capacity.
• The novel optical diffusing fillers owning good dispersion.

The novel optical diffusers based on boehmite (γ-AlOOH) hollow microspheres were successfully prepared by solvent-free UV curing process. The optical properties of the novel diffusers were also measured for the first time. Boehmite hollow microspheres had been synthesized via high efficient and facile hydrothermal synthesis method. The microscope analysis revealed that the boehmite hollow microspheres were about 5 μm in diameter and with a shell thickness of approximately 1.6 μm. The novel diffuser based on the fillers of boehmite hollow microspheres possessed suitable light transmittance, good diffusion capacity, and low incident angle dependence, which were critical and necessary for excellent optical diffusers. Thus, boehmite hollow microspheres were quite suited to being as optical fillers and such microspheres can be widely used for preparing different multifunctional diffusion materials such as touch-panel functions, monitors, military projectors, night vision LCD, etc.