The press office of Japan's Waseda University announced that physicists have developed a transparent nano-coating for contact lenses that allows light to pass through and protects eyes from electromagnetic waves.
Professor Takeo Miyake says, "The idea of creating 'smart' contact lenses with built-in electronics is gaining traction. If such technologies emerge, our eyes will be directly exposed to the electromagnetic waves generated by the communication systems of these lenses. To protect against these waves, we have developed a special coating made of two-dimensional materials."
To solve this problem, a method has been developed that allows two-dimensional MXenes films to be applied to the surface of conventional contact lenses. These films consist of transition metals and carbon atoms, and often contain nitrogen, fluorine, or oxygen. They have unique properties that make them similar to metals.
Scientists were able to select the structure and properties of MXene films based on titanium carbide, allowing 90 percent of visible light waves to pass through while blocking the electromagnetic oscillations that can be generated by "smart" contact lenses during use. The researchers tested several prototypes of nano-coated lenses and studied their protective properties in practice.
Test results on animals have shown that the coating scatters approximately 93 percent of electromagnetic waves and converts them into infrared rays, which are less harmful to eye components, including the retina.
Scientists point out that this method could be used on other materials, especially since it boasts a very high biocompatibility. This means that this material could be used to create protective coatings not only for contact lenses, but also for various bioelectronics, medical implants, and other devices that come into contact with the patient's body.
