Light-activated shape morphing and light-tracking materials using biopolymer-based programmable photonic nanostructures

Abstract

Natural systems display sophisticated control of light-matter interactions at multiple length scales for light harvesting, manipulation, and management, through elaborate photonic architectures and responsive material formats. Here, we combine programmable photonic function with elastomeric material composites to generate optomechanical actuators that display controllable and tunable actuation as well as complex deformation in response to simple light illumination. The ability to topographically control photonic bandgaps allows programmable actuation of the elastomeric substrate in response to illumination. Complex three-dimensional configurations, programmable motion patterns, and phototropic movement where the material moves in response to the motion of a light source are presented. A “photonic sunflower” demonstrator device consisting of a light-tracking solar cell is also illustrated to demonstrate the utility of the material composite. The strategy presented here provides new opportunities for the future development of intelligent optomechanical systems that move with light on demand.

Generation of Complex Tunable Multispectral Signatures with Reconfigurable Protein‐Based, Plasmonic‐Photonic Crystal Hybrid Nanostructures

“…[40,[48][49][50] The latter leverage the polymorphism of silk and have been shown to allow precise modulation of the nanostructure parameters of bare SIO. [51] This strategy can be applied to the hybrid materials described here to obtain programmable plasmonic-photonic (P 3 ) crystal structures.…”

“…It should be noted that the color appearance on the S‐side is affected by the number of layers of the inverse colloidal crystals used (Figure S3, Supporting Information) since they directly affect the PBG of the SIO. An increase in the number of layers of the photonic lattice enhances the PBG effect by increasing the reflectance [ 40,51 ] and, conversely, it decreases the SPR effect measured from the S‐side. Therefore, to maximize the PBG effect from the S‐side, the SIOs were fabricated using ten layers.…”

Self-assembled liquid crystal architectures for soft matter photonics

“…In addition, Soft Mattonics with new optical functions would be worth expecting by combining LCs with other soft materials. For instance, silk protein, which is a natural structural protein that is mainly spun by spiders and silkworms, is an excellent candidate for soft optical materials owing to its capacity to develop a wide variety of photonic architectures that generate an optical response as a result of interaction between light and the nanostructure in which silk is molded, and to create flexible, tunable, complex, and multifunctional optical platforms 290 – 295 . The development of LC-silk photonic composites would provide expanded optical utility by leveraging their functional interplay and further extend the applications of LC devices towards the interface between optical technologies and biological world.…”

Designing the electronic and geometric structures of single-atom and nanocluster catalysts

“…The synergetic effect between various neighbouring SAs has been shown to be promising to promote catalytic performance. 123,124 A desirable distribution of active sites, such as Lewis and Brønsted acid sites, with optimal strengths should lead to cooperative and/or tandem reactions. Multiple atomically dispersed SAs within molecular distances could be prepared as a result of a combination of preparation methods.…”