Development of Refractive Index Matched Materials to Water

We discuss several options of materials that are refractive index-matched to water near room

temperature. They are fluorine-based polymers, some are commercially available, while we are

developing new formulas that offer more flexibility in their fabrication. Currently, materials

have been cast to a thickness of up to 5 mm and when primed show good adhesion to structural

components, such as BK7, fused quartz, and acrylic. Efforts on 3d printing of the polymers is

ongoing and will be reported. We will compare the efficacy of the cured polymer with the

thermoplastic material Mexflon.