This study focuses on the determination of refractive index and birefringence of Polycarbonate films doped with Disperse Red 1 over a wide range of preparation conditions. Four different techniques are used, dip coating, spin coating, free casting, and blade casting. The refractive indices of films doped with concentrations of Disperse Red 1 from 1% to 5% are 1.5701 to 1.5932. The coating and casting processes induce significant levels of molecular order in the produced films, leading to birefringence. It is shown that the level of induced birefringence depends on the preparation technique. Films produced by dip coating are less birefringent than those produced by spin coating. Films produced by free casting are less birefringent than those produced by blade casting. Dip coating is the most suitable technique for preparation god optical quality thin films.
Polycarbonate, Refractive index, Birefringence, Coating, casting techniques
