SBIR Phase II: Low-cost polymer films for foldable cover lenses used in flexible displays

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目的更广泛影响是为每年40亿美元的盖透镜市场提供一种经济上可行的材料，用于它必须解决的即将到来的形状因素：可折叠显示器。虽然这一市场规模目前代表了采用刚性LCD或OLED技术的显示器，但主要手机制造商正在寻求转向高度差异化的外形，如可折叠手机，以在竞争激烈的旗舰智能手机领域获得市场份额。为此，整个显示模块必须是可折叠的，并且允许这种行为的最后部件之一是盖透镜。因此，可折叠显示器必须消除诸如玻璃的硬脆材料，并利用具有与玻璃相同的优异耐刮擦性能但具有聚合物折叠下的柔性和耐久性的材料。本项目开发了一种新型的聚硫热固材料，旨在开发出首个使用聚硫热固聚合物薄膜的低成本、高性能的可折叠盖透镜技术。目前，无定形多硫化物热固性材料可以产生在可折叠显示器技术中应用所需的优异的光学性质和折叠耐久性。然而，这些材料还不能满足制造商对刚性玻璃盖板的严格硬度要求。在这项工作中，将进行多硫化物热固性材料家族的扩展，以引入化学和物理改性，从而使所得的热固性膜具有所需的硬度。最终的树脂材料将使用印刷行业中常见的标准湿膜挤出和固化工具进行转化，从而实现具有成本竞争力的薄膜生产。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is to provide the $4B/year cover lens market an economically viable material for the upcoming form-factor it must address: foldable displays. While this market size currently represents displays that employ rigid LCD or OLED technologies, major handset manufacturers are looking to move to highly differentiated form-factors such as foldable phones to gain market share in the competitive flagship smartphone tier. To do so, the entire display module must be foldable and one of the last components to allow for this behavior is the cover lens. Foldable displays therefore must eliminate hard, brittle materials such as glass and utilize materials with the same excellent scratch-resistant properties of glass, but with the flexibility and durability under folding of polymers. This project develops a novel polysulfide thermoset for this application.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project aims to develop the first low-cost, high-performance foldable cover lens technology using polysulfide thermosetting polymer films. Currently, the amorphous polysulfide thermosets can yield the excellent optical properties and folding durability required for application in foldable display technologies. However, these materials are as of yet unable to meet the strict hardness requirement set by manufacturers looking to replace rigid glass cover lenses. In this work, the expansion of the polysulfide thermoset family of materials will be undertaken to introduce chemical and physical modifications which allow for the resultant thermosetting films to possess the requisite hardness. The resultant resin materials will then be converted using standard wet-film extrusion and curing tools commonly found in the printing industry, allowing for cost-competitive production of the resulting films.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.