Application of uracil for the preparation of low-index nanostructured layers

Nanostructured layers generated by plasma etching immediately after the evaporation process can exhibit an effective refractive index down to approximately 1.15. uracil, a nucleobase derived from a pyrimidine chemical structure, has been identified to form suitable bump structures in a self-organized way. It is assumed that the molecule's ability to form aggregates plays an essential role in initiating the structure formation. A nanostructured uracil layer has been used as the final layer of an antireflection coating to demonstrate broadband and wide-angle antireflection performance.