Contactless, photoinitiated snap-through in azobenzene-functionalized polymers.

ABSTRACT: Photomechanical effects in polymeric materials and composites transduce light into mechanical work. The ability to control the intensity, polarization, placement, and duration of light irradiation is a distinctive and potentially useful tool to tailor the location, magnitude, and directionality of photogenerated mechanical work. Unfortunately, the work generated from photoresponsive materials is often slow and yields very small power densities, which diminish their potential use in applications. Here, we investigate photoinitiated snap-through in bistable arches formed from samples composed of azobenzene-functionalized polymers (both amorphous polyimides and liquid crystal polymer networks) and report orders-of-magnitude enhancement in actuation rates (approaching 10(2) mm/s) and powers (a

SUBMITTER: Shankar MR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3839691 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature