High molecular weight bio furan-based copolyesters have been synthesized by melt polycondensation and solid-state polymerization for packaging applications as bio based alternatives to PET.

We fabricated an ecofriendly, electroactive, reconfigurable and varifocal PVC–ATBC (ePVC) gel lens. The curvature of the hemispherical plano-convex ePVC gel lens changes with the input voltage. Its focal length increased from 5 to 15 mm upon increasing from 0 to 500 V.

In this paper, we propose a variable focus microlens module based on a transparent, electroactive, and non-ionic PVC/DBA gel. A non-ionic PVC/DBA (nPVC) gel on an ITO glass was confined beneath a rigid annular electrode, and applied pressure squeezed a bulge of the nPVC gel into the annular electrode, resulting in a hemispherical plano-convex nPVC gel microlens. The proposed nPVC gel microlens was analyzed and optimized. When voltage is applied to the circular perimeter (the annular electrode) of this fabricated microlens, electrically induced creep deformation of the nPVC gel occurs, changing its optical focal length. The focal length remarkably increases from 3.8 mm up to 14.3 mm with increasing applied voltages from 300 V to 800 V. Due to its compact, transparent, and electroactive characteristics, the proposed nPVC gel microlens can be easily inserted into small consumer electronic devices, such as digital cameras, camcorders, cell phones, and other portable optical devices.