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Researchers in Poland and Italy have developed photo-responsive materials for vat photopolymerization that allow 3D printed components to dynamically alter the intensity and polarization of a laser beam.
The materials incorporate azobenzene-based molecules whose orientation changes when exposed to polarized visible light. This creates a temporary difference in refractive index, known as photoinduced birefringence. The team achieved birefringence values of up to 2.5 × 10⁻⁴ and demonstrated optical modulation over 60,000 on-off cycles.
Published in Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials, the study brings together researchers from Wrocław University of Science and Technology, the Italian National Research Council’s Istituto Nanoscienze, Scuola Normale Superiore and the University of Pisa.