| abstract |
In a process for cladding an optical fiber, a photoinitiator monomer having both a photoinitiating group and an ethylenically unsaturated group is reacted with a fluorosubstituted monomer having an ethylenically unsaturated group, thereby preparing a copolymer having pendant photoinitiating groups. This copolymer is then mixed with a fluorosubstituted diacrylate, thereby forming a photopolymerizable composition, which is coated on to the optical fiber and exposed to ultraviolet light, thereby curing the photopolymerizable composition to produce a cladding on the optical fiber. Preferred claddings can have refractive indices below 1.35. |