Properties of Some Poly(siloxane)s for Optical Applications

Siloxane polymers possess a unique set of properties that makes them highly suitable for optical applications. Our data present some of these properties, namely refractivity, dielectric properties, transmittance characteristics, and flexibility, for a variety of poly(dimethylsiloxane)s obtained by equilibrium ring-opening cationic polymerization and anionic ring-opening copolymerization. The study illustrates the importance of such structural and compositional characteristics in tailoring some specific optical applications.