Turn sulfur waste into a lens

International researchers at the University of Arizona have found a unique method of processing sulfur waste into plastic lenses that can be used for infrared devices.

They captured the infrared image of a person on a piece of plastic. The scientists explain that this is the first time that a material has been created that can produce quality thermal images.

The industry has long wanted such plastics. Plastic lenses can be used in all types of devices to detect heat. These could be video cameras, night vision cameras, vision systems. Different from the existing materials, the new plastic lenses are cheap, lightweight, easily shaped by elasticity.

Depending on the amount of sulfur in the plastic, the lens has a refractive index of about 1.865 - 1.745. Most other polymers have previous, refractive index is 1.6 and can only transmit less light in the mid-range of infrared radiation.