The Polymer Society of Korea

윤재욱 (한국기술교육대학교)

배진우 (한국기술교육대학교)

Electroactive poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) gels are promising for adaptive optics, but conventional phthalate plasticizers raise safety concerns and can degrade electrical efficiency. Here, we develop bio-safe electroactive PVC gels using synthesized cyclohexanedicarboxylate (CHDC) plasticizers for adaptive microlenses. By varying the aliphatic chain length and incorporating CHDC into PVC, dielectric polarization, softness, and charge transport were tuned.The PVC/CHDC gels show high optical transparency, strong dielectric response, ultra-soft elasticity, and low leakage current under high electric fields. Integrated into electrically driven microlenses, they enable wide-range focal length modulation with fast response and stable operation at relatively low voltages. Compatibility and suppressed plasticizer migration further support suitability for human-interfacing optical devices. This work offers an environmentally benign route to high-performance electroactive microlenses.