Prof. Dr. Irena Drevenšek Olenik: TUNABLE OPTICAL DIFFRACTIVE STRUCTURES FROM LIQUID-CRYSTALLINE ELASTOMERS
Povzetek:
TUNABLE OPTICAL DIFFRACTIVE STRUCTURES FROM LIQUID-CRYSTALLINE ELASTOMERS
Prof. Dr. Irena Drevenšek Olenik
Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana and Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana
Adding a small amount of photosensitive component to a polymer matrix opens up various possibilities for optical manipulation of mechanical, thermal, electrical and also optical properties of the polymeric material. Polymers exhibiting liquid crystalline ordering are particularly suitable for optical micro-structuring, because their collective response to the photo-induced processes generates refractive index modifications that can be several orders of magnitude larger than in conventional polymers. Examples of optical diffractive structures from liquid-crystalline elastomers (LCEs) will be presented and their manipulation by various external stimuli will be discussed. Some intriguing phenomena, such as recording of hidden holograms and the dark hologram enhancement effect, will also be explained.
