Nanowerk December 16, 2024
An international team of researchers (Republic of Korea, Viet Nam) developed a concept of a mechanochromic strain sensor based on magnetic field self-assembled amorphous photonic arrays (APAs) of magnetoplasmonic Ag@Fe3O4 core–shell nanoparticles. The nanoparticles had tunable color spans and fully reversible mechanochromic shift when triggered by stretching or deformation events. In particular, the designed sensors exhibit dynamic color-switching covering various range of reflectance shifts in the visible wavelength region. The most apparent blue-to-red color shift was observed with 176 nm nanoparticles. They investigated the role of surface plasmon resonance coupling in producing the mechanochromic effect. The strain sensor was demonstrated as an artificial skin-type patch to capture joint motion, monitoring of structural deformation, displays, and information encryption. According to the researchers, the magnetoplasmonic elastomers based on APAs could become a versatile and facile approach toward the development of fully power-free optical sensors and displays for biomedical and hazard-prevention devices… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Graphical abstract. Credit: Chemical Engineering Journal, Volume 498, 15 October 2024, 155297