Abstract: This invention provides a biosensor solid or hydrogel substrate comprising one or more temperature indicating agents, each of said one or more temperature indicating agents operating by changing its optical properties and being deposited in and/or at the surface of the biosensor solid or hydrogel substrate as one or more layers and/or spots

Abstract: This invention relates to flexible structures (401) that respond to the application of an agent. Upon application of the agent, the flexible structure bends (402) in a predetermined fashion. The flexible structure is formed from a polymer liquid crystal that is orientated to define an upper surface layer and a lower surface layer having an essentially different molecule orientation, and the polymer liquid crystal is such that a length/width ration is changed upon application of the agent. Thereby, the upper and lower surface layers respond differently to the application of the agent, resulting in bending or un-bending of the flexible structure (401).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for the manufacture of a holographic film. The method includes a polymerizable composition that comprises monomers with high reactivity, monomers with low reactivity and a non-reactive material. The method comprises a patterned exposure to obtain a patterned polymerization of the monomers with high reactivity and a subsequent polymerization to polymerize also monomers with low reactivity to form a solid film. The method gives a holographic film with a high refractive index modulation and a modulated porosity.

Abstract: A foil moveable by non-mechanical means, such as light or heat, comprises an alternating array of first and second foil sections each resiliently and non-mechanically moveable between a flattened state and a bent state. The direction in which the first foil sections bend, when moved from the flattened to the bent state, is opposite to the direction in which the second foil sections bend when moved from the flattened to the bent state. When, in the flattened state, non-mechanically stimulating the first and second foil sections in unison, the first and second foil sections bend in opposite directions causing the foil to wrinkle, which results in a movement which is substantially linear. Using a different or removing the non-mechanical stimulus, the foil sections can be made to unbend resulting in a flattening and expansion of the foil to its original shape.

Abstract: To improve automation, especially in 2D gel electrophoresis of proteins, DNA etc., a separation device (1) has a physically activatable means for releasing surfactant, eg. SDS, into the gel fr SDS-PAGE. In one embodiment, surfactant-bound polymer is photolytically cleaved; in another, a barrier layer (30) is melted/destroyed to allow surfactant from reservoir (20) to reach the separation area (10). The barrier layer may comprise a novolac.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for use in separation, especially isoelectric focusing employing “pH sink regions”, whereby the direction of change in pH is reversed.

Abstract: A liquid-filled container (1) comprises a first and a second sheet (3, 5) between which a thin film of liquid (7) is dispersed. Supporting members, (9), which extend from the first sheet to the second sheet, are covalently bonded to the first and the second sheet to make the container mechanically robust. In an advantageous embodiment, the thin film of liquid, the supporting members and the second sheet form, in combination, a stratified-phase-separated composite. The liquid-filled container is particularly suitable for use in a liquid crystal display.

Abstract: A micro-fluidic system comprises at least one micro-channel having a wall (14), a plurality of ciliary actuator elements (71) attached to said wall (14), said ciliary actuator elements (71) having an original shape when not subjected to a liquid, and means for applying stimuli to said plurality of ciliary actuator elements (71) so as to cause a change in their shape from an initial shape to an end shape. The ciliary actuator elements (71) are adapted to respond to the presence of a particular liquid by changing their original shape into the initial shape. The response to the presence of the particular liquid may be a curving of the original shape of the ciliary actuator element. Application of stimuli to the plurality of ciliary actuator elements provides a way to locally manipulate the flow of complex fluids in a micro-fluidic system.

Abstract: A flexible foil which is moveable by light includes a dye which is capable of changing shape when absorbing light of a predetermined wavelength. The dye is dispersed in the foil such that, near at least one major surface of the foil, the dye is anisotropically oriented. Transverse to the foil, the concentration and/or orientation of the dye changes in an asymmetric manner. The change in orientation and/or concentration is such that, when exposed to light of the predetermined wavelength, the flexible foil moves. When exposed the dye changes shape which change in shape causes a change in lateral dimension of the foil which change in lateral dimension is, due to the change in concentration and/or orientation of the dye, different at different locations with the foil. This causes the flexible foil to move or more particular bend.

Abstract: The invention relates to a micro-mechanical thermal structure for modulating a light beam and a method for manufacturing such a structure. The micro-mechanical structure comprises two layers of material with different thermal expansion coefficients in a first direction and a second direction respectively, in which the first direction is transverse to the second direction and the two layers comprise an oriented polymer and the director of the molecules of the oriented polymer of the first layer is transverse to the director of the molecules of the oriented polymer of the second layer. An array of such micro-mechanical structures may form a thermo-optical modulator for modulating light. The method comprises a step of providing a mold with an orientation-inducing layer to obtain a molecular orientation in a mono-meric state of liquid crystalline monomers and a step of fixing the molecular orientation by photo-polymerization.

Abstract: The invention relates to an edge-lit slab waveguide equipped with a slanted anisotropic holographic layer, which couples out linearly polarized light. The invention further relates a new slanted anisotropic holographic layer suitable for use on the waveguide according to the invention, to a method to prepare such layer, and devices comprising the waveguide according to the invention.

Abstract: The invention relates to a substrate material for analyzing fluids which has first areas with a high porosity and second areas with a lower porosity.

Abstract: A foil moveable by non-mechanical means, such as light or heat, comprises an alternating array of first and second foil sections each resiliently and non-mechanically moveable between a flattened state and a bent state. The direction in which the first foil sections bend, when moved from the flattened to the bent state, is opposite to the direction in which the second foil sections bend when moved from the flattened to the bent state. When, in the flattened state, non-mechanically stimulating the first and second foil sections in unison, the first and second foil sections bend in opposite directions causing the foil to wrinkle, which results in a movement which is substantially linear. Using a different or removing the non-mechanical stimulus, the foil sections can be made to unbend resulting in a flattening and expansion of the foil to its original shape.

Abstract: A mechanical structure comprises an element which is moveable by nonmechanical means, such as heat or radiation, between a first state having a first shape and a second state having a second shape different. To this end, the element includes a layer of oriented polymerized liquid crystal which exhibits an anisotropic expansion when subjected to such means. In order to facilitate manufacture the element is positioned on a substrate which has a region of high adhesiveness and a region of low adhesiveness for polymerized liquid crystal. To manufacture such structures a layer of oriented polymerizable liquid crystal is formed on a substrate (201) which is provided with a patterned surface that provides adhesive regions (204) with high adhesiveness to polymerized liquid crystal and nonadhesive regions (203) with low adhesiveness to polymerized liquid crystal.

Abstract: A flexible foil which is moveable by means of light comprises a dye which is capable of changing shape when absorbing light of a predetermined wavelength. The dye is dispersed in the foil such that, near at least one major surface of the foil, the dye is anisotropically oriented. Transverse to the foil, the concentration and/or orientation of the dye changes in an asymmetric manner. The change in orientation and/or concentration is such that, when exposed to light of the predetermined wavelength, the flexible foil moves. When exposed the dye changes shape which change in shape causes a change in lateral dimension of the foil which change in lateral dimension is, due to the change in concentration and/or orientation of the dye, different at different locations with the foil. This causes the flexible foil to move or more particular bend. In a specific embodiment the movement is reversible.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a mechanical shutter (601) that comprises a shutter element having a layer of polymerized liquid crystal. The polymerized liquid crystal is anisotropically oriented. At one major surface the orientation is an isotropic. In moving towards the opposite major surface the orientation varies, the variation being such that the thermal expansion coefficient varies in moving from the major surface to the opposite surface. When exposed to non-mechanical means such as heat, the shutter element moves. When for example a splayed or a twisted nematic orientation is used, the element bends and straightens in response to the non-mechanical means. Electrodes (604, 605, 606) can optionally be formed on the element and on a supporting substrate, rendering the element controllable by an electric field applied between the electrodes due to resulting electrostatic forces. The invention furthermore provides a method of manufacturing such mechanical shutters using in-situ polymerization.

Abstract: The electrophoretic display panel (1) for displaying a picture and subsequently displaying a subsequent picture has a pixel (2) having an electrophoretic medium (5) having first and second charged particles (6, 7) and an optical state depending on the positions of the particles (6, 7) in the common region (30) of the pixel (2). Furthermore, transition control means are able to control a transition of the first and the second particles (6, 7) being in substantially separated domains of in the common region (30) for displaying the picture to substantially separated domains of the common region (30) for displaying the subsequent picture.

Abstract: An image display apparatus (100) is disclosed. The image display apparatus (100) comprises: a display device (104) for displaying an image, by emission of display light in a first direction; a scattering layer (102) disposed in front of the display device (104), for scattering a portion of the ambient light; and a reflective layer (106) disposed in between the display device (104) and the scattering layer (102) for reflecting a portion of the scattered ambient light into the first direction.

Abstract: An electro-optical switch, which can be switched between a substantially transparent state and a scattering state on basis of respective applied voltages, is disclosed. The electro-optical switch has a reflection-voltage curve that is steep enough to allow multiplexing. The electro-optical switch comprises: a scattering layer (302) comprising a liquid crystal-polymer composite; and a reflective layer (306) for reflecting a portion of scattered light back towards the scattering layer (302).

Abstract: The invention relates to a substrate material for analyzing one or more fluid samples for the presence, amount or identity of one or more analytes in the samples, whereby the substrate material is adapted in that way that a flow of the sample or parts thereof in and/or with the substrate material is influenced and/or caused by phase transitions, preferably photoinducable phase transitions, in selected areas of the substrate material.