A fast-responding semi-transparent pressure-sensitive paint based on through-hole anodized aluminum oxide membrane

A novel pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) has been developed which uses through-hole anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane as the binder to achieve fast response (up to 80 kHz) and sufficient transparency in visible wavelength. The AAO membrane has well-organized nanostructure with through holes, which are prepared from typical AAO by first chemically removing the aluminum substrate and then applying a pore opening procedure by chemical etching. The geometry of AAO membrane, including thickness, pore size and porosity can be precisely defined by controlling the parameters of the anodization process. The pressure-sensitive paint was prepared by dipping the AAO membrane into the solution of a ruthenium-based luminophore. The sensing performance of PSP samples, including signal strength, pressure sensitivity and response time, was evaluated based on static and dynamic calibrations. The effects of pore size and porosity on PSP performance were investigated and their relations with the binder's optical properties were discussed in detail. Unlike the conventional AA-PSP, the application of this semi-transparent membrane PSP (STM-PSP) is not limited to aluminum models. In addition, its high transparency allows back-illumination and back-imaging during applications if necessary, and makes it very suitable for developing multi-layer paint systems.