Harnessing Light to Control the Autonomous Functionality of Soft Active Materials

利用光控制软活性材料的自主功能

• 批准号: 0926362
• 负责人: Anna Balazs
• 金额: $ 28万
• 依托单位: University of Pittsburgh
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-09-01 至 2013-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0926362&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Harnessing; Light; Control; Autonomous; Functionality

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). Using theory and simulation, our goal is to design coatings that permit the controlled spatial-temporal modulation of surface properties and, thereby, impart biomimetic functionality to a broad range of systems. In these studies, we will take advantage of the distinctive behavior of polymer gels undergoing the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction. The BZ gels are currently the only known polymer networks to display autonomous mechanical oscillations. Furthermore, the BZ reaction is photosensitive and by varying the light intensity, we can manipulate the response of the material. It is this interplay between the chemo-responsive polymer network and the photosensitive reaction that we will exploit to direct the self-sustained movement of the gels. By coating a surface with thin films or tethered filaments of these BZ gels, we can confer to the resulting systems such properties as autonomous sensing, actuation and reconfiguration. In these applications, light provides useful advantages as a control mechanism: it permits a means for remote regulation, is a clean energy source and can be easily turned on or off.If successful, the findings will reveal nonlinear dynamical phenomena that can arise from a coupling of chemical, optical and mechanical energy, and establish design rules for creating millimeter-scale devices that effectively operate under their own power to perform valuable functions. In addition, the study will produce computational models that enable users to design and predict the properties of soft materials that encompass active components. To encourage the participation of more students in undergraduate research and to let undergrads already engaged in research become familiar with the activities of their colleagues, the PI will organize a day-long Undergraduate Research Poster Fair for the nearby universities. Students from local high schools will also be invited to attend. The undergraduate researchers would be particularly effective at relating to this younger cohort and could play an important role in encouraging the 9-12th graders to pursue science and engineering in college.

该奖项根据 2009 年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法 111-5）提供资金。 利用理论和模拟，我们的目标是设计能够对表面特性进行受控时空调制的涂层，从而为广泛的系统赋予仿生功能。 在这些研究中，我们将利用聚合物凝胶进行 Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) 反应的独特行为。 BZ 凝胶是目前唯一已知的能够显示自主机械振荡的聚合物网络。 此外，BZ 反应是光敏的，通过改变光强度，我们可以操纵材料的响应。 我们将利用化学响应聚合物网络和光敏反应之间的这种相互作用来指导凝胶的自我维持运动。 通过在表面涂覆这些 BZ 凝胶的薄膜或系留细丝，我们可以赋予所得系统诸如自主传感、驱动和重新配置等特性。 在这些应用中，光作为控制机制提供了有用的优势：它允许远程调节，是一种清洁能源，并且可以轻松打开或关闭。如果成功，研究结果将揭示非线性动态现象，这些现象可能由化学能、光学能和机械能的耦合，并建立设计规则来创建毫米级设备，这些设备可以在自身动力下有效运行以执行有价值的功能。 此外，该研究还将产生计算模型，使用户能够设计和预测包含活性成分的软材料的特性。 为了鼓励更多的学生参与本科生研究，并让已经从事研究的本科生熟悉同事的活动，PI将为附近的大学组织为期一天的本科生研究海报展。 当地高中的学生也将被邀请参加。 本科生研究人员在与这一年轻群体建立联系方面尤其有效，并且可以在鼓励 9 至 12 年级学生在大学学习科学和工程方面发挥重要作用。