Electrically tuning soft membranes to both a higher and a lower transparency

Abstract The possibility to electrically tune the optical transparency of thin membranes is of significant interest for a number of possible applications, such as controllable light diffusers and smart windows, both for residential and mobile use. As a difference from state-of-the-art approaches, wh...

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Autores principales:	Leihao Chen, Michele Ghilardi, James J. C. Busfield, Federico Carpi
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2019
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/06f07ac726ec4334bfbe35d13d629a8c
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:06f07ac726ec4334bfbe35d13d629a8c2021-12-02T13:57:01ZElectrically tuning soft membranes to both a higher and a lower transparency10.1038/s41598-019-56505-92045-2322https://doaj.org/article/06f07ac726ec4334bfbe35d13d629a8c2019-12-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-56505-9https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract The possibility to electrically tune the optical transparency of thin membranes is of significant interest for a number of possible applications, such as controllable light diffusers and smart windows, both for residential and mobile use. As a difference from state-of-the-art approaches, where with an applied voltage the transparency can only increase or decrease, this paper presents the first concept to make it electrically tuneable to both higher and lower values, within the same device. The concept is applicable to any soft insulating membrane, by coating both of its surfaces with a circular transparent stretchable conductor, surrounded by a stretchable annular conductor. The two conductors are used as independently addressable electrodes to generate a dielectric elastomer-based actuation of the membrane, so as to electrically control its surface topography. We show that the optical transmittance can electrically be modulated within a broad range, between 25% and 83%. This approach could be especially advantageous for systems that require such a broad tuning range within structures that have to be thin, lightweight and acoustically silent in operation.Leihao ChenMichele GhilardiJames J. C. BusfieldFederico CarpiNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 9, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2019)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Leihao Chen Michele Ghilardi James J. C. Busfield Federico Carpi Electrically tuning soft membranes to both a higher and a lower transparency
description	Abstract The possibility to electrically tune the optical transparency of thin membranes is of significant interest for a number of possible applications, such as controllable light diffusers and smart windows, both for residential and mobile use. As a difference from state-of-the-art approaches, where with an applied voltage the transparency can only increase or decrease, this paper presents the first concept to make it electrically tuneable to both higher and lower values, within the same device. The concept is applicable to any soft insulating membrane, by coating both of its surfaces with a circular transparent stretchable conductor, surrounded by a stretchable annular conductor. The two conductors are used as independently addressable electrodes to generate a dielectric elastomer-based actuation of the membrane, so as to electrically control its surface topography. We show that the optical transmittance can electrically be modulated within a broad range, between 25% and 83%. This approach could be especially advantageous for systems that require such a broad tuning range within structures that have to be thin, lightweight and acoustically silent in operation.
format	article
author	Leihao Chen Michele Ghilardi James J. C. Busfield Federico Carpi
author_facet	Leihao Chen Michele Ghilardi James J. C. Busfield Federico Carpi
author_sort	Leihao Chen
title	Electrically tuning soft membranes to both a higher and a lower transparency
title_short	Electrically tuning soft membranes to both a higher and a lower transparency
title_full	Electrically tuning soft membranes to both a higher and a lower transparency
title_fullStr	Electrically tuning soft membranes to both a higher and a lower transparency
title_full_unstemmed	Electrically tuning soft membranes to both a higher and a lower transparency
title_sort	electrically tuning soft membranes to both a higher and a lower transparency
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2019
url	https://doaj.org/article/06f07ac726ec4334bfbe35d13d629a8c
work_keys_str_mv	AT leihaochen electricallytuningsoftmembranestobothahigherandalowertransparency AT micheleghilardi electricallytuningsoftmembranestobothahigherandalowertransparency AT jamesjcbusfield electricallytuningsoftmembranestobothahigherandalowertransparency AT federicocarpi electricallytuningsoftmembranestobothahigherandalowertransparency
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Electrically tuning soft membranes to both a higher and a lower transparency

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