Forget remote-controlled curtains. A new development by
researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, could lead to curtains
and other materials that move in response to light, no batteries needed.
A research team led by Ali Javey, associate professor of
electrical engineering and computer sciences, layered carbon nanotubes –
atom-thick rolls of carbon – onto a plastic polycarbonate membrane to create a
material that moves quickly in response to light. Within fractions of a second,
the nanotubes absorb light, convert it into heat and transfer the heat to the
polycarbonate membrane’s surface. The plastic expands in response to the heat,
while the nanotube layer does not, causing the two-layered material to bend.