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Conformal Silk-Azobenzene Composite for Optically Switchable Diffractive Structures

2017; American Chemical Society; Volume: 9; Issue: 36 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1021/acsami.7b09986

1944-8252

Giovanna Palermo, Luca Barberi, Giovanni Perotto, Roberto Caputo, Luciano De Sio, Cesare Umeton, Fiorenzo G. Omenetto,

Advanced Materials and Mechanics

The use of biomaterials as optical components has recently attracted attention because of their ease of functionalization and fabrication, along with their potential use when integrated with biological materials. We present here an observation of the optical properties of a silk-azobenzene material (Azosilk) and demonstrate the operation of an Azosilk/PDMS composite structure that serves as a conformable and switchable optical diffractive structure. Characterization of thermal and isomeric properties of the device, along with its overall performance, is presented in terms of diffractive characteristics and response times. The ease of manufacturing and functionalization opens a promising avenue for rapid device prototyping and interfaces of expanded utility.