Nano-Patterned Wetting Layers on Silicone Hydrogels: Toward Continuous-Wear Contact Lenses with Enhanced Oxygen Flux

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-695-1_4How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Nano-patterned wetting layer; Silicone-hydrogel lenses; Oxygen transmissibility; Tear-film stability; Biofouling mitigation; Sustainable manufacturing

Abstract

Silicone-hydrogel (SiHy) lenses solved corneal hypoxia two decades ago, yet their hydrophobic skins still invite lipid gunk, bacterial hitch-hikers and end-of-day burn. Nano-patterned wetting layers (NPWLs)—comprising sub-500 nm grooves, pillars, and honeycomb pores—were fabricated via embossing or self-assembly in a single post-moulding step. NPWLs were fabricated via UV-imprint/self-assembly, with modulus parity (nanoindentation) and debris safety (STEM/macrophage assays). By pinning a nanoscopic water sheet to the lens front, these textures slash contact-angle hysteresis below 4°, treble tear-film break-up time, and lift functional oxygen transmissibility past the 150 Barrer cm⁻¹ mark without stealing a molecule of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) from the bulk. Quantitative assays confirm the promise: protein-lipid deposition drops 60–70%, Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus adhesion fall an order of magnitude, and ex-vivo corneas swell a mere 3.5% after an overnight run. In the first 30-night human crossover, wearers logged an 11-point comfort jump on a 100-point scale and halved dropout rates versus best-in-class SiHy controls.

Manufacturing economics are equally persuasive. Volatile organic compound -free Ultra violet (UV)-imprint resins and water-borne layer-by-layer coatings add ≤ United States Dollar 0.03 per lens at one-million-unit monthly throughput while trimming the carbon footprint by 0.9 kg CO₂-eq per million pieces. Mechanical-modulus parity and a negligible nano-debris profile position NPWL lenses for Food and Drug Administration Special 510(k) clearance and European Union Medical Device Regulation class IIb listing. Beyond comfort and oxygen, the patterned scaffolds offer plug-and-play docking sites for antimicrobial peptides or mechano-responsive drug depots, opening a roadmap toward truly therapeutic, week-long lenses.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Labishetty Sai Charan
AU  - Navjyot S. Trivedi
AU  - Tara Rani
AU  - Logesh Babu
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/30
TI  - Nano-Patterned Wetting Layers on Silicone Hydrogels: Toward Continuous-Wear Contact Lenses with Enhanced Oxygen Flux
BT  - 2nd International Conference on Advanced Materials & Devices for Futuristic Applications-2024 (IC-AMDFA 2024)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 41
EP  - 62
SN  - 2590-3217
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-695-1_4
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-695-1_4
ID  - Charan2026
ER  -