Open AccessPhotomechanical actuation of polydimethylsiloxane/carbon black nanocomposite
Author(s) -
Hiremath Shivashankar,
Kulkarni Satyabodh M
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
micro and nano letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.25
H-Index - 31
ISSN - 1750-0443
DOI - 10.1049/mnl.2019.0286
Subject(s) - materials science , carbon black , polydimethylsiloxane , nanocomposite , carbon nanotube , composite material , polymer , graphene , absorbance , deformation (meteorology) , polymer nanocomposite , light scattering , nanotechnology , scattering , optics , natural rubber , physics
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.