1. research

Photoresponsive Materials

  • Light-driven particle motion.
  • Light driven crawler.
  • Light-driven, self-regulated Rayleigh-Benard convection.
  • Light-driven cantilever.

We explore the use of light as a powerful means of material control, either through the local generation of heat, or through direct changes in materials properties, such as stiffness and energy dissipation. Current projects include the development of light-addressable actuators for use in soft robotics, light-controlled liquids for use in optofluidics, as well as 3D printing of hydrogels and polymer composite foams.

 Recent Publications

Graphical Abstract

3D-printed polymer foams maintain stiffness and energy dissipation under repeated loading

Younghoon Kwon, Soyoung E. Seo, Jaejun Lee, Szabolcs Berezvai, Javier Read de Alaniz, Claus D. Eisenbach, Robert M. McMeeking, Craig J. Hawker, Megan T. Valentine. Composites Communications. 37:101453 (2023)
Image of a cantilever

Role of Material Composition in Photothermal Actuation of DASA-Based Polymers

Miranda M Sroda, Jaejun Lee, Younghoon Kwon, Friedrich Stricker, Minwook Park, Megan T. Valentine, and Javier Read de Alaniz. ACS Applied Polymer Materials, 4(1):141-149 (2022).
Image of samples from paper

Three-Dimensional Photochemical Printing of Thermally Activated Polymer Foams

Soyoung E. Seo, Younghoon Kwon, Neil D. Dolinski, Caitlin S. Sample, Jeffrey L. Self, Christopher M. Bates, Megan T. Valentine, and Craig J. Hawker. ACS Appl. Polym. Mater. 3(10):4984–4991 (2021).
image from paper

Tough Multimaterial Interfaces through Wavelength-Selective 3D Printing

Neil D. Dolinski, E. Benjamin Callaway, Caitlin S. Sample, Luke F. Gockowski, Roberto Chavez, Zachariah A. Page, Fabian Eisenreich, Stefan Hecht, Megan T. Valentine, Frank W. Zok, and Craig J. Hawker. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 13(18):22065–22072 (2021).
Self-regulating photochemical Rayleigh-Bénard convection using a highly-absorbing organic photoswitch

Self-regulating photochemical Rayleigh-Bénard convection using a highly-absorbing organic photoswitch

Serena Seshadri, Luke F. Gockowski, Jaejun Lee, Miranda Sroda, Matthew E. Helgeson, Javier Read de Alaniz, and Megan T. Valentine. Nature Communications 11:2599 (2020).
Photoactive Cantilever

Tunable Photothermal Actuation Enabled by Photoswitching of Donor–Acceptor Stenhouse Adducts

Jaejun Lee, Miranda M. Sroda, Younghoon Kwon, Sara El-Arid, Serena Seshadri, Luke F. Gockowski, Elliot W. Hawkes, Megan T. Valentine, Javier Read de Alaniz. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 12:54075–54082 (2020).