OPTICAL MATERIAL AND OPTICAL ELEMENT

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a new optical material having high display contrast by constituting it with a polymer gel reversibly changing the volume by absorbing or releasing a liq. in accordance with an external stimulus and a light scattering member coating at least a part of the surface of this polymer gel. SOLUTION: An objective optical material consists of a polymer gel 12 which reversibly changes its volume by absorbing or releasing a liq. in accordance with an external stimulus and a light scattering material coating at least a part of the surface of the polymer gel 12. The polymer gel 12 being used is preferably to be particles having an averaged particle size of 0.01μm-5 mm at the time of being strunk and the light scattering material 14 is preferably to be particles having an averaged particle size of 0.01μm-1 mm in the case that the light scattering material 14 contains a polymer material. Further, the light scattering material is preferably to be particles having an average particle size of 0.001μm-10μm. This method enables to elevate transparency or coloring density at the time of being swelled and to elevate light scattering property at the time of being strunk.