TP 3: Light-responsive surfaces
Principal Investigators: Jürgen Rühe and Bastian E. Rapp
Light is one of the most important trigger mechanisms for materials which change their properties as a consequence of the change in the intensity and the direction of incident sun light or temperature. In addition, it is the strongest trigger mechanism in technical applications, because providing structured light patterns is an established technique in lithography and technically significantly less challenging than other trigger mechanics. The focus of this project is the development of materials for which the surface physics (wetting, adhesion) and surface chemistry can be changed via light. This can be facilitated via morphological changes of the macromolecular structure using, e.g., azo-based materials. In addition, materials for which the surface charge can be modulated via light will be investigated.