Achieving a Teflon-like Polymer with ÅngströmLink AL-2233

Published: June 27, 2016

, Last updated: September 19, 2025

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Where can I get a little bit of Teflon? ÅngströmLink AL-2233 is basically that.

A Teflon-like polymer dissolved in an evaporative solvent. To get a thin layer of ‘almost -Teflon’, make a thin layer of AL-2233 and let the solvent evaporate.

What will be left behind is an amorphous polymer layer that:

Can range in thickness from <10 nm to 10u thick (anti-reflective lens coating or cladding for a waveguide)
Has a Refractive index of 1.33 (matches water)
Is very hydrophobic (like Teflon, can be used to mask areas from other coatings or as an optical grade mold release)
Is optically clear (in such thin layers)

Fluorination is the thing that makes AL-2233 so much like Teflon.

Fluorine is the atom that gives the properties of low refractive index and low surface energy (the hydrophobic, non-stickiness of the surface).

There are not many things that have much affinity for fluorine, so the solvent for AL-2233 has to be fluorinated too. But the solvent is very volatile and really serves as the vehicle to deliver the fluorinated polymer to the surface being coated.

AL-2233 can be applied by spin coating, spraying, dipping, etc. When the solvent evaporates it leaves behind the fluorinated polymer layer. Final layer thicknesses are easily controlled by adjusting the concentration of the fluorinated polymer in the solvent to begin with. In a single dip process, typical layer thicknesses left after evaporation of the solvent are:

FOC It’s a lot like Teflon AL-2233 blog Fiber Optic Center

Layer thickness of less than 200nm can be obtained by simply diluting the 1% concentration with more solvent. Dilution can proceed to the point where the layer thickness left behind after evaporation is essentially one molecular layer thick – all that is needed for an effective surface treatment!

So if you ever wished you had a little bit of Teflon, in a thin layer, AL-2233 may be a solution for you.

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About the Author

Randall Elgin Randall Elgin, Business Development, Specialty Products, Technical Sales Randall started her career at Fiber Optic Center (FOC) in February 2010 as a technical specialist in encapsulation materials for optical applications. Since then she has worked with new materials, optical and otherwise, that enable high tech applications in the photonics industry. She regularly attends the photonics exhibitions in the US and Europe. Randall joined FOC from Nusil, where she spent 5 years working on the encapsulation issues for Solid State Lighting. Prior to that she spent 3 years at Lightspan in Wareham, MA, learning about and supporting emerging optical applications. Before Lightspan, she was an electrical engineer for 17 years at Sippican Ocean Systems in Marion, MA. Randall graduated from Boston University in 1984 with a Masters in Electrical Engineering. She and her husband reside outside New Bedford where they built a super energy efficient home, enjoy rural living and take in the New Bedford and Boston classical music scenes.

About Fiber Optic Center, Inc.

Fiber Optic Center, Inc., (FOC), is an international leader in distributing fiber optic components, equipment and supplies and has been helping customers make the best cable assemblies in the world for over two decades. Several areas of specialization and expertise, in which they are the industry leader, make them the preferred choice for many of the world’s fiber professionals. In these key technology areas, FOC is "at least as technical as the manufacturer" about the products they sell. Striving to "make the business part easy," they offer outstanding and personal customer service, low or no minimum purchase order values, and from-stock delivery on industry-leading products and technology. FOC is the industry connection to the most innovative optical products, technologies and technical experts who integrate their manufacturing knowledge and vast experience into customers' worldwide operations. @FiberOpticCntr

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