On April 27th, during the Optics + Opto-Electronics Conference organized by SPIE – The International Society for Optics and Photonics, in Prague, the entire PULSE-COM consortium came together to showcase the final results of the European PULSE-COM Project.
The project’s final workshop was successfully held within the conference session “Smart Materials for Opto-Electronic Applications”, co-organized by ENEA and led by a distinguished team of experts:
- Dr. Ivo Rendina (Director of ISASI-CNR),
- Dr. Lucia Petti (ISASI-CNR, Project Coordinator),
- Dr. Giuseppe Nenna (ENEA Researcher, Scientific Lead),
- Dr. Domenico Sagnelli (ISASI-CNR, Leader of Work Package 1 on PMP/PZL material development and device design).
The workshop focused on innovative photo-mobile polymers (PMPs)—new active materials supported by EU-funded research through PULSE-COM. These cutting-edge materials are capable of generating significant strokes when excited by light, opening the door to a new generation of light-driven actuators.
Thanks to their ability to convert light into mechanical movement—with displacements reaching several millimeters—these films can serve as optical transducers in advanced devices. The team characterized the dynamic behavior of these photo-mobile films prior to their integration into more complex systems.
As part of the project’s final demonstration phase, several “proof of concept” devices were developed, including:
- A light-controlled optical switch,
- A micro-valve actuated by light,
- A beam deflector,
- A wavelength selector,
- And a compact spectrometer prototype.
These prototypes illustrate the potential for commercial applications in various fields including optoelectronics, microfluidics, and sensing technologies.
Acknowledgements
A heartfelt thanks to our distinguished keynote speakers who enriched the event with their visionary contributions:
- Prof. Lorenzo Marrucci (University of Naples Federico II, Italy),
- Prof. Ifor D. W. Samuel (University of St Andrews, United Kingdom),
- Prof. Anders Kristensen (Technical University of Denmark, Denmark),
- Dr. Ferruccio Pisanello (Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Italy),
…as well as all participating speakers who helped elevate the scientific impact and visibility of our final conference.
The results presented mark a significant step forward in the development of light-driven smart materials and devices, positioning PULSE-COM at the forefront of the next generation of functional materials for photonics.-B.G.-
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