Sun-tracking optical element realized using thermally activated transparency-switching material
Materials Science
2023-07-19 v1 Optics
Abstract
We present a proof of concept demonstration of a novel optical element: a light-responsive aperture that can track a moving light beam. The element is created using a thermally-activated transparency-switching material composed of paraffin wax and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Illumination of the material with a focused beam causes the formation of a localized transparency at the focal spot location, due to local heating caused by absorption of a portion of the incident light. An application is proposed in a new design for a self-tracking solar collector.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1506.06370,
title = {Sun-tracking optical element realized using thermally activated transparency-switching material},
author = {Harry Apostoleris and Marco Stefancich and Samuele Lilliu and Matteo Chiesa},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1506.06370},
year = {2023}
}
Comments
6 pages, 5 figures