Near-infrared light-controlled tunable grating based on graphene/elastomer composites

A near-infrared (nIR) light actuated tunable transmission optical grating based on graphene nanoplatelet (GNP)/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and PDMS is proposed. A simple fabrication protocol is studied that allows integration of the grating with the actuation mechanism; both components are made from soft elastomers, and this ensure the tunability and the light-driven operation of the grating. The resulting grating structure demonstrates continuous period tunability of 2.7% under an actuation power density of 220 mW cm−2 within a period of 3 s and also demonstrates a time-independent characteristic. The proposed infrared activated grating can be developed for wireless remote light splitting in bio/chemical sensing and optical telecommunications applications.