The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 25, 2016
Filed:
Aug. 24, 2015
The United States of America, As Represented BY the Secretary of the Air Force, Washington, DC (US);
Timothy J. White, Centerville, OH (US);
Kyung Min Lee, Dayton, OH (US);
The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force, Washington, DC (US);
Abstract
This application discloses a method of photomechanically manipulating optically fixable SMPs that employ glassy, photoresponsive polymeric materials, which are capable of rapid optical-fixing with short exposures (<<5 min) of eye-safe visible light. Key to the optical fixing is the use of polymeric materials composed of covalently attached photochromic units such as azobenzene and the use of light capable of inducing simultaneous trans-cis and cis-trans isomerization of azobenzene or other photochromic moieties capable of similar cycling. Upon exposure to light in this wavelength regime (440-514 nm for the azobenzene unit here), real and lasting reconfigurations are induced capable of fixing both the optically induced strain as well as mechanically induced strain. A linear dependence of bending angle on polarization angle is observed and may be used to control the shape reconfiguration of the SMPs.