Synthesis of a photostrictive azobenzene polymer thread

Meghan Martin; Alex Nicotra; Zachary Hollins; Sarah Kapelner; Jimmy Franco; John A. Gallagher

doi:10.1117/12.2514288

29 March 2019 Synthesis of a photostrictive azobenzene polymer thread

Meghan Martin, Alex Nicotra, Zachary Hollins, Sarah Kapelner, Jimmy Franco, John A. Gallagher

Proceedings Volume 10968, Behavior and Mechanics of Multifunctional Materials XIII; 1096803 (2019) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2514288
Event: SPIE Smart Structures + Nondestructive Evaluation, 2019, Denver, Colorado, United States

Abstract

Photostrictive polymers are a shape memory material that actuates between two mechanical states due to application of different wavelengths of light. Photostrictive materials often exhibit large strains during this process. In this work a novel photostrictive polymer was synthesized using a similar procedure to the synthesis of nylon threads. A monomer containing azobenzene, a photoreactive switch, was synthesized. The novel monomer was polymerized into a material with similar properties to that of nylon where the photoswitch replaces some of the alkyl units created by the adipoyl chloride monomer. This creates a new photostrictive thread alternative to flat sheets for artificial muscle applications. Additionally, the photoactive monomer and the original nylon monomer, adipoyl chloride, were used concurrently to produce a copolymer with varying degrees of the photoactive unit. Utilizing a copolymer methodology allows the innovative thread-like material to be tunable, by varying the amount of photoactive units embedded into the polymer strand. Ratios of the photoswitch unit to adipoyl chloride of 1:5, 1:10, 1:25, and 1:50 were synthesized. The synthesized polymer strands were dissolved in formic acid so that the incorporation of the photoactive units could be measured using Ultra Violet –Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. The absorbance at varying wavelengths was determined and compared to the base polymer, nylon. All azobenzene samples exhibited a direct correlation to an absorption band at 345 nm and the concentration of the photoswitch unit.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Meghan Martin, Alex Nicotra, Zachary Hollins, Sarah Kapelner, Jimmy Franco, and John A. Gallagher "Synthesis of a photostrictive azobenzene polymer thread", Proc. SPIE 10968, Behavior and Mechanics of Multifunctional Materials XIII, 1096803 (29 March 2019); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2514288

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