The Polymer and the Hummingbird’s Wing
Optics & Photonics Focus
Volume 2 Story 5 - 18/9/2008

The polymeric hummingbird’s wing

A polymeric cantilever containing photosensitive molecules (azobenzene, shown in the picture) starts to oscillate rapidly when exposed to light radiation. Just like the oscillations of a hummingbird’s wing, these oscillations occur at about thirty cycles per second (30 Hz).
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The polymeric hummingbird’s wing. A polymeric cantilever containing photosensitive molecules (azobenzene, shown in the picture) starts to oscillate rapidly when exposed to light radiation. Just like the oscillations of a hummingbird’s wing, these oscillations occur at about thirty cycles per second (30 Hz).