Autonomous lenses may bring microworld
into focus
team of UW-Madison researchers led by Assistant
Professor Hongrui
Jiang has developed a way to make a tiny lens so “smart”
that it can adapt its focal length from minus infinity to plus infinity—without
external control. These microlenses use pinned oil-water interfaces
actuated by hydrogels that respond to physical, chemical or biological
stimuli. These liquid microlenses could advance lab-on-a-chip technologies,
optical imaging, medical diagnostics and bio-optical microfluidic systems.
The technology was featured on the cover of the August
3 issue of the journal Nature. Jiang, Biomedical Engineering
Professor David
Beebe, postdoctoral researcher Liang Dong, and doctoral student
Abhishek Agarwal collaborated on the project.
Continuing research into autonomous microlenses, researchers
then developed a new type of pH-responsive microlens. The new design
of pH-sensitive hydrogel actuators may allow the microlenses to be tuned
much faster. Jiang and Dong published their new findings in the November
20 issue of Applied Physics Letters.
You can read more about this technology by going to:
www.engr.wisc.edu/news/headlines/2006/Aug02.html
