Quick Shot
Membranes that Respond to Light
July 06, 2010
Novel gas membranes that demonstrate variable permeability when illuminated with different wavelengths of light have recently been developed at the Optical Materials Laboratory. These are based on light-sensitive liquid crystals, synthesized at LLE, and absorbed into micropores of a thin plastic sheet. Shown is one of the developers, Eric Glowacki, preparing a membrane for testing using a custom-built permeation measurement tool.
UPDATE: Patent issued May 2013
K. L. Marshall and E. Glowacki, “Photo-Switchable Membrane and Method,” U.S. Patent No. 8,435,333 (7 May 2013).