Work

Photomechanical Sensing from Spectral Shifts in Graphene-Doped Polydimethylsiloxane Reflection Gratings

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) films doped with graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) with an embossed surface-relief grating were investigated as photothermal actuated sensors. The films were initially characterized using controlled environmental heating where the wavelength of a diffracted white-light probe beam measured at a fixed angle increased monotonically with temperature due to thermal expansion of the grating. An asymmetric double sigmoidal function tracked the shift in peak diffraction wavelength. The observed thermal response is consistent with the thermal expansion of a freestanding PDMS composite film. When a continuous-wave (CW) laser was incident on the film, intensity-dependent photothermal expansion caused a transient deformation in the grating. The photomechanical behavior of the grating, tracked by the diffracted probe beam with a miniature spectrometer, was then shown to act as a laser power meter. These results demonstrate that photomechanical materials can be used as add-ons to existing optical spectroscopy devices for power-sensing applications.

Source: Optics

DOI: 10.3390/opt7020023

Authors: Abigail Deaton, Hengzhou Liu, Nathan J. Dawson

Institution: Florida Polytechnic University

Language: English

Topic: Advanced Materials and Mechanics

Subfield: Mechanical Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,448

Funder: National Science Foundation