Photochemically-driven stimuli-responsive systems: from materials that compute with light to bio-inspired waveguide lattices

我的研究计划的总体目标是找到创造性的方法来收集、限制、塑造、图案和使用光束进行计算。这项研究将为我们提供强大的工具来制作完全由光驱动的智能材料(见下文)。我的学生将在光学组件的设计和建造、光响应材料的合成和光传播的理论模拟方面接受跨学科培训。同样重要的是，他们将在解决问题的多方面、跨学科方法方面变得熟练，并与国内和国际合作者互动。这项培训将使他们能够在最令人兴奋的材料研究领域取得有效、创造性的进展，如软机器人、生物启发光学和无需电子计算的材料。为了实现我们的目标，我们将利用我们对光的特殊(非线性)形式及其在光响应化学系统中的特殊行为的基本知识和理解：非线性光波在出人意料的长距离传播时，强度不会像正常(线性)条件下那样展宽或减弱。在大量的人群中，它们相互作用，自发地组织成3D有序的建筑。在某些材料中，它们永久地刻有微结构，这些微结构本身就具有强大的导光性能。我们将利用这些特性开发三种类型的基于光的技术：(I)由微观光导组装而成的人造复眼，它具有苍蝇、蜜蜂和其他节肢动物的增强3D视觉；(Ii)软材料，它可以执行基本的算术，如用光进行加减运算，并且不需要外部处理器或电力；以及(Iii)3D打印技术，它使用来自微型、商用发光二极管(LED)的非线性光波，在几秒钟内刻下物体。这些领域中的每一个都满足了迫切的技术需求，且本身就具有强大的影响力：(I)人造复眼将大大增强微型相机(例如智能手机中的微型相机)和太阳能电池板的集光能力；(Ii)用光计算的材料是新型智能、自主系统的组成部分，这种系统由入射光驱动，不需要外部电子设备；(Iii)早期实验表明，通过商用3D打印机数小时以上可打印出的物体，可通过我们的3D打印技术在数秒内产生。总的来说，这样的发展将成为创造软的、智能的材料结构的强大工具，这些材料结构可以处理-计算-包括光在内的环境刺激，并以这种方式最终模拟生物系统的智能响应。例如触觉、视觉、伪装、飞行，在这些领域，皮肤、眼睛和肌肉等复杂的传感器无缝地适应环境刺激精致编程的反应序列。

The overall objective of my research programme is to find creative ways to collect, confine, mould, pattern and compute with light beams. This research will give us powerful tools to craft intelligent materials powered entirely by light (see below). My students will receive interdisciplinary training in the design and construction of optical assemblies, synthesis of light-responsive materials and theoretical simulations of light propagation. Equally importantly, they will become skilled in multifaceted, cross-disciplinary approaches to problem solving and interact with national and international collaborators. This training will allow them to make effective, creative advances in the most exciting areas of materials research such as soft robotics, bio-inspired optics and materials that compute without electronics. To achieve our objective, we will draw from our fundamental knowledge and understanding of unusual (nonlinear) forms of light and their extraordinary behaviour in light-responsive chemical systems: nonlinear light waves travel over unexpectedly long distances without broadening or weakening in intensity as they would under normal (linear) conditions. In large populations, they interact with each other and spontaneously organize into 3D ordered architectures. In certain materials, they permanently inscribe microstructures that have powerful light-guiding properties of their own. We will harness these properties to develop three types of light-based technologies: (i) artificial compound eyes assembled from microscopic light-guides, which possess the enhanced 3D vision of flies, bees and other arthropods, (ii) soft materials that perform basic arithmetic such as addition and subtraction with light, and require no external processors or electricity and (iii) a 3D printing technique that employs nonlinear light waves from miniature, commercially available light emitting diodes (LEDs) to inscribe objects within seconds. Each of these areas addresses an urgent technological need and is impactful on its own: (i) artificial compound eyes would greatly enhance the capacity of miniature cameras (e.g. in smart phones) and light collection in solar panels; (ii) materials that compute with light are building blocks of a new class of smart, autonomous systems that are driven by incident light and do not require external electronics and (iii) early experiments show that objects, which are printed over hours through commercial 3D printers, can be generated in seconds through our 3D printing technique. Collectively, such developments will as serve powerful tools to create soft, smart material constructs that are can process - compute with - environmental stimuli including light and in this way, ultimately mimic the intelligent responsiveness of biological systems. Examples are tactility, vision, camouflage, flight where complex sensors such as skin, eye and muscle seamlessly adapt to environmental stimuli exquisitely programmed response sequences.