Actuation of an elastomeric diffraction grating by a shape-memory alloy

Abstract

This paper aims to ascertain the feasibility of employing trained shape-memory alloys (nitinol wires) for changing the diffraction angle of deformable elastomeric diffraction gratings. Body-temperature nitinol wire was trained into a semi-circle and embedded within an elastomeric grating. Actuation of the grating using the nitinol changed the angle of diffraction by 0.371 degrees. During scanning, the diffracted beam traversed a stable path and the sample showed quick activation for currents larger than 2 A. Relaxation time was constant for most currents.