Photomechanical actuation of polydimethylsiloxane/carbon black nanocomposite

Shivashankar Hiremath, Satyabodh M. Kulkarni

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Materials such as carbon black (CB), carbon nanotube, graphene, etc. have been found to deform on exposure to the light source. Introducing these materials into polymers could convert them to photo-responsive composites. This is demonstrated by the experiment in which polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer containing CB nanofiller composites is prepared, and its photomechanical actuation from exposure to IR light source is recorded using a laser displacement sensor. The particle size analysis reveals the size of the CB, which is verified by the dynamic light scattering method. The UV-vis-IR spectrophotometer study shows that an increase in the light absorbance capacity of nanocomposites compared to the plain polymer. The PDMS/CB nanocomposite beam exhibited a significant deformation compared to plain PDMS. Deformation of the order of 10-11 mm is observed for a given IR source. The deformation found to have good repeatability but with some thermal hysteresis in cyclic actuation and de-actuation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)437-440
Number of pages4
JournalMicro and Nano Letters
Volume15
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 17-06-2020

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Bioengineering
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • General Materials Science
  • Condensed Matter Physics

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Photomechanical actuation of polydimethylsiloxane/carbon black nanocomposite'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this