Re- and preconfigurable multistable visible light responsive surface topographies

Matthew Hendrikx, Jeroen ter Schiphorst, Ellen P.A. van Heeswijk, Gülistan Koçer, Christopher Knie, David Bléger, Stefan Hecht, Pascal Jonkheijm, Dirk J. Broer, Albertus P.H.J. Schenning

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

34 Citations (Scopus)
126 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Light responsive materials that are able to change their shape are becoming increasingly important. However, preconfigurable bistable or even multi-stable visible light responsive coatings have not been reported yet. Such materials will require less energy to actuate and will have a longer lifetime. Here, it is shown that fluorinated azobenzenes can be used to create rewritable and pre-configurable responsive surfaces that show multi-stable topographies. These surface structures can be formed and removed by using low intensity green and blue light, respectively. Multistable preconfigured surface topographies can also be created in the absence of a mask. The method allows for full control over the surface structures as the topographical changes are directly linked to the molecular isomerization processes. Preliminary studies reveal that these light responsive materials are suitable as adaptive biological surfaces.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1803274
Number of pages7
JournalSmall : Nano Micro
Volume14
Issue number50
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 13 Dec 2018

Keywords

  • configurable surface actuation
  • fluorinated azobenzenes
  • multistable topographies
  • visible light responsive liquid crystal networks

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Re- and preconfigurable multistable visible light responsive surface topographies'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this