CNR successfully prepared a Photo-Mobile Polymer (PMP) film self-vibrating while exposed to polarized light. The protocol of preparation can be observed in Fig.1 and in brief it involves the preparation of polymer coated glass slides that will be used as minireactors for the polymerization. The mix used (Figure 2A) is introduced in the cells by…
At the beginning of this month, a two-days remote school had been organised by the consortium on smart materials for opto-electronic applications. The aim was to bring to the attendees the concepts and basic working principles on Smart Materials Technologies from experts in the fields coming from both academy and industries. 16 lectures had been…
The 28th of May, the article “Low-Temperature Growth of ZnO Nanowires from Gravure-Printed ZnO Nanoparticle Seed Layers for Flexible Piezoelectric Devices” has been published in the Nanometerials Journal. It is accessible through this link: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/11/6/1430 Abstract Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires (NWs) are excellent candidates for the fabrication of energy harvesters, mechanical sensors, and piezotronic and…
1st International Short School on Smart Materials for opto-electronic Applications 7th and 8th of September 2021, free online event Summary Human evolution is linked to the manipulation of the environment. Since the first hominid to use a stone as a tool — or a bone according to the iconic scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey…
Another method for improving the PMP properties is the opal-inverse opal imprinting on PMP surface. The inverse opals [1] are ordered porous solids, a sort of photonic crystals [2] much cheaper and with large number of layers. The main characteristic of photonic crystals is the existence of the photonic band gap (PBG) which makes visible…
Plasmons are collective excitations of free electrons in metals, such as Au, Ag or Cu, that, when stimulated by an energy source, such as sunlight, or a laser. A harmonic oscillation of the surface charges is induced with a wave-like behavior. In the process, they scatter light that can be read by a spectrometer, which…
Multiple device applications based on the photo-mobile polymers are proposed in the PULSE-COM project, including an energy harvesting system. This device converts light-induced movement of the photo-mobile polymer into electrical energy via the piezoelectric effect. The system consists not only of the harvester itself but must also be integrated with the rectification and energy storage…
Over the course of the PULSE-COM project, prototypes of different devices based on the photo-piezo layered system are being created. In order to perform characterization and benchmarks, several test benches are being developed. One of them is the solar simulator operated in CBRTP. This device, equipped with a xenon arc lamp, produces white illumination commonly…
