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Transparent thermoplastic polymers are widely used as materials for precision optical lenses as well as for sensing and lighting. The advantages of transparent polymers for optical parts are significant weight reduction, high impact strength, molding options and cost saving mass-production. Antireflection (AR) coatings are essential to improve transmission and contrast of lenses, windows and display covers. Polymer-capable coating conditions must be investigated for each type of polymer because of the varying chemical and physical properties of optical polymers. A presently well-established coating technology for plastics is plasma ion-assisted deposition (Plasma-IAD). It enables the coating deposition at low temperature as well as low-energy plasma conditions and ion bombardment to tailor the optical and mechanical properties of oxide layers. A good understanding of complex interactions of polymer surfaces with plasma and high-energetic radiation is a key factor to achieve polymer optics with high-end AR-properties and long-time durability. The Aim of this study is to evaluate and to understand the surface properties of polymers which are relevant for the deposition of optical coatings and for its later application. The investigation is focused primarily on the new polymer types APEL, Iupizita EP and OKP. They are compared with the long-established materials such as polycarbonate (Makrolon) and ZeonexE48R. The optical properties of the polymers are systematically studied including the influence of aging caused by UV-irradiation, humidity and heat. In addition, properties like surface hardness, water absorption and thermal stability are compared and discussed. Different pre-treatments and designs are considered to bond multilayer AR systems to surfaces with high adhesive strength. In addition, plasma-etching technology AR-plas is applied to achieve AR properties for the visible spectral range (VIS).
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