A new twist on moving matter with light
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Light can bend rigid structures, at least on a microscopic scale, researchers report. Light-driven twisting of tiny ribbons could someday be used for negative refractive index materials, in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), or for lithography on a scale between the macro- and the microworlds. “Twisting changes the physical dimensions of the ribbons, such as their length,” said lead investigator Nicholas A. Kotov, a chemical engineering professor at the University of Mich...