Facile fabrication of light diffuser films based on hollow silica nanoparticles as fillers

• Calcination temperature affects the morphological hollow silica nanoparticles.
• The increment of the hollow particles improves transmittances of the films.
• The incremental particles in the films improve light diffusing ability of the films.
• The films with high optical performances can be applied for a good diffuser film.
• The hollow particles can be applied for fillers in light diffuser films of LCDs.

A light diffuser film based on hollow silica nanoparticles as fillers was facilely fabricated by coating a suspension of the particles in a UV-curable acrylate monomer solution on a cleaned glass substrate. The amount of the particles in the films was varied from 5 to 20 vol%. The optical properties and the light diffusing ability of the films were then studied and further compared to those of the cleaned glass. The result revealed that the films become opaque when the amount of the particles increases. The increment of the particles also leads to the formation of aggregated particles with a larger size and homogeneous dispersion as the FE-SEM images had been presented. Although the films exhibit the opacity, their total transmittance is still high and close to that of the cleaned glass transmittance. Moreover, the improved diffuse transmittance of the films is obtained from the increased amount of the particles. The increment of the particles also provides the different scattered light image sizes with a homogeneous light resulting in a distinct light diffusing ability. Those results indicated that the films based on the hollow silica nanoparticles as fillers are probably applied for light diffuser films in the LCD industry.

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