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Polymers
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Advances in Photopolymer Materials: Holographic Applications
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Advances in Photopolymer Materials: Holographic Applications

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 2095

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Marta Morales-Vidal

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Guest Editor
University Institute of Physics Applied to Sciences and Technologies, University of Alicante, 03080 Alicante, Spain
Interests: holographic lenses; holographic nonimaging systems; holographic concentrators; photopolymers; photovoltaics; holographic sensors; multiplexing holography; organic lasers; optical sensors; label-free biosensing; waveguides; photopolymers; materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Inmaculada Pascual

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instituto Universitario de Física Aplicada a las Ciencias y las Tecnologías, Universidad de Alicante, 99, 03080 Alicante, Spain
Interests: holography; photopolymers; holographic optical elements; reflection holography; holographic lenses; data storage; imaging systems; holographic concentrators; multiplexing holography; nanoparticles; sustainable polymers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Tomás Lloret

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Óptica, Farmacología y Anatomía, Universidad de Alicante, Carretera San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, 03690 San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain
Interests: photopolymers; materials; holographic lenses; imaging systems; nonimaging systems; holographic concentrators; augmented reality; data storage; multiplexing holography; aberrations; reflection holography

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Photopolymers are highly adaptable for various optical applications. Every day, new opportunities arise in areas like data storage, diffractive optical elements, photonic structures, reflection holography, holographic gratings for astronomy and astrophysics, waveguides, holographic sensors, wavefront sensing, holographic diffusers, holographic optical elements (HOEs) for solar energy applications, and holographic couplers for see-through applications. These applications are becoming increasingly complex and require recording materials with new characteristics, such as sustainability, low-toxicity properties, the ability to interact with specific molecules or analytes, and nanoparticle-doped materials.

This Special Issue focuses on the development and characterization of photopolymer materials for optical and photonic applications. Topics covered include new media development, performance enhancements, and material optimization. Techniques explored will include the fabrication of holographic optical elements, surface embossing, and the fabrication of volumetric elements. Papers describing the behaviour of photopolymers under shrinkage, swelling and thermal conditions, and the fabrication and application of photopolymers and other photosensitive materials in sensors to produce nanostructures or holographic applications will be included. Both original contributions and technical review articles will be accepted.

Dr. Marta Morales-Vidal
Prof. Dr. Inmaculada Pascual
Dr. Tomás Lloret
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • photopolymers
  • holographic recording materials
  • theoretical modelling of photosensitive polymers
  • holographic optical elements
  • polymeric materials for sensing holography
  • nanocomposite polymeric materials
  • photorefractive polymers
  • nanoparticles
  • sustainable polymers

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 2332 KB  
Article
Characterization of Holographic Gratings in PVA/AA Using Coherent Nanosecond Laser Exposure
by Emilio J. Mena, Andrés P. Bernabeu, Guillem Nájar, Sergi Gallego, Andrés Márquez and Augusto Beléndez
Polymers 2025, 17(21), 2873; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17212873 - 28 Oct 2025
Viewed by 463
Abstract
This work investigates the performance of a polyvinyl alcohol/acrylamide-based photopolymer (PVA/AA) under pulsed and continuous-wave (CW) laser exposure for holographic recording. Using a versatile setup that allows direct comparison between both regimes, diffraction efficiency (DE), angular responses, and material parameters were analyzed. Comparable [...] Read more.
This work investigates the performance of a polyvinyl alcohol/acrylamide-based photopolymer (PVA/AA) under pulsed and continuous-wave (CW) laser exposure for holographic recording. Using a versatile setup that allows direct comparison between both regimes, diffraction efficiency (DE), angular responses, and material parameters were analyzed. Comparable maximum DE was achieved with both CW and pulsed laser exposure; however, the pulsed regime produces stronger attenuation along the grating depth, which emphasizes the need to lower the dye concentration. Furthermore, the temporal evolution of DE reveals a smaller influence of oxygen inhibition under CW exposure. Finally, second-order angular reconstructions confirm that pulsed gratings exhibit a better sinusoidal modulation, especially at low frequency rates. These results enhance the understanding of how pulsed exposure affects holographic recording and open pathways for optimizing photopolymer systems in advanced technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Photopolymer Materials: Holographic Applications)
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15 pages, 8493 KB  
Article
Phase-Retrieval Algorithm for Hololens Resolution Analysis in a Sustainable Photopolymer
by Tomás Lloret, Víctor Navarro-Fuster, Marta Morales-Vidal and Inmaculada Pascual
Polymers 2025, 17(20), 2732; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17202732 - 11 Oct 2025
Viewed by 706
Abstract
In this paper, the iterative Gerchberg–Saxton (GS) phase-retrieval algorithm is employed to reconstruct the amplitude spread function (ASF) of hololenses (HLs) recorded on a sustainable PVA/acrylate-based photopolymer, Biophotopol, when working with a CCD sensor. The main objective of this work is [...] Read more.
In this paper, the iterative Gerchberg–Saxton (GS) phase-retrieval algorithm is employed to reconstruct the amplitude spread function (ASF) of hololenses (HLs) recorded on a sustainable PVA/acrylate-based photopolymer, Biophotopol, when working with a CCD sensor. The main objective of this work is to characterize the spatial resolution of HLs, which are key components in a wide range of optical systems, including augmented reality (AR) glasses, combined information displays, and holographic solar concentrators. The GS algorithm, known for its efficiency in phase retrieval without prior knowledge of the phase of the optical system, is used to reconstruct the ASF, which is critical for mitigating information loss during imaging. Spatial resolution is quantified by convolving the ASFs obtained with two resolution tests (objective and subjective) and analyzing the resulting image using a CCD sensor. The convolution process allows an accurate assessment of lens performance, highlighting the resolution limits of manufactured lenses. The results show that the iterative GS algorithm provides a reliable method to improve image quality by recovering phase and amplitude information that might otherwise be lost, especially when using CCD or CMOS sensors. In addition, the recorded hololenses exhibit a spatial resolution of 8.9 lp/mm when evaluated with the objective Siemens star chart, and 30 cycles/degree when evaluated with the subjective Random E visual acuity test, underscoring the ability of Biophotopol-based HLs to meet the performance requirements of advanced optical applications. This work contributes to the development of sustainable high-resolution holographic lenses for modern imaging technologies, offering a promising alternative for future optical systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Photopolymer Materials: Holographic Applications)
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16 pages, 1920 KB  
Article
Polarimetric-Based Analysis and Manufacturing of Dye-Doped Liquid Crystal Photoaligned Cells for the Visible Range
by Adrián Moya, Adriana R. Sánchez-Montes, Emilio J. Mena, Manuel Ortuño, Mariela L. Álvarez, Eva M. Calzado and Andrés Márquez
Polymers 2025, 17(18), 2489; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17182489 - 15 Sep 2025
Viewed by 535
Abstract
The accurate and controlled alignment of liquid crystals (LCs) in modern optical devices is of great importance. Photoalignment is one of the most appealing approaches for achieving more versatile alignment in designs. One of the most important parameters of these devices is the [...] Read more.
The accurate and controlled alignment of liquid crystals (LCs) in modern optical devices is of great importance. Photoalignment is one of the most appealing approaches for achieving more versatile alignment in designs. One of the most important parameters of these devices is the thickness and the homogeneity in the photoaligned area, especially in devices that introduce retardance. In this work, we propose a novel polarimetric-based method for the measurement of thickness of homogeneous liquid crystal cells that considers diattenuation effects and how they affect the retardance generated by a liquid crystal variable retarder (LCVR). We experimentally demonstrate the production of dye-doped liquid crystal (DDLC) devices, photoaligned in the visible range with a 532 nm laser light, of two different thicknesses with a very high spatial homogeneity. Thinner devices can be used across the whole visible spectrum despite the residual diattenuation at shorter wavelengths, whereas thicker ones achieve the best degree of polarization (DOP) in the transmitted wavefronts, close to 100%, at longer wavelengths. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Photopolymer Materials: Holographic Applications)
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