Composite Mirror Applications

Composite Mirror Applications, in Tucson, Arizona, has worked closely with NASA to build mirrors used in space, most notably building a mirror used by space shuttle Endeavor on its final mission to search for dark matter and anti-matter in the universe. Steward Observatory at the University of Arizona has also worked in close conjunction with Composite Mirror Applications in the development of special optical projects with applications for the telescopic industry. 

The presence of polymer, solvent, and ionic components in conducting polymers reminds one of the composition of the materials chosen by nature to produce muscles, neurons, and skin in living creatures. We will describe here some devices ready for commercial applications, such as artificial muscles, smart windows, or smart membranes other industrial products such as polymeric batteries or smart mirrors and processes and devices under development, such as biocompatible nervous system interfaces, smart membranes, and electron-ion transducers, all of them based on the electrochemical behavior of electrodes that are three dimensional at the molecular level. During the discussion we will emphasize the analogies between these electrochemical systems and analogous biological systems. Our aim is to introduce an electrochemistry for conducting polymers, and by extension, for any electrodic process where the structure of the electrode is taken into account. 

Major polymer applications composites, textiles, brush bristles, tire cords, electrical and electronics (connectors, circuit breakers, capacitor housings), automotive (distributor caps, mirror housings, door knobs), housewares, lighting, power tools, sporting goods, plumbing... 

Zirconium dioxide, Zr02, displays a variety of desirable properties including hardness, chemical durability and corrosion resistance. It is employed in numerous applications such as coatings for cutting tools, optical filters, thermal barrier coating, interfacial coatings in fiber reinforced ceramic matrix composites, dielectric films in microelectronics [24] and other applications such as mirrors [25] and sensors [26]. 

Polymeric materials are used In all solar technologies. In addition to such conventional applications as adhesives, coatings, moisture barriers, electrical and thermal Insulation, and structural members, polymers are used as optical components In solar systems. Mirrors on parabolic troughs are made up of metallized fluoropolymers and acrylics. Commercial flat-plate collectors are glazed with fluoropolymers and ultraviolet-stabilized polyester/ glass fiber composites. Photovoltaic (PV) cell arrays are encap-... 

Thin films are layers of material ranging in thickness from nanometers (10" m) to micrometers (10" m). They are used commonly for coating optical surfaces and also for coatings on semiconductors. Thin films are used to make mirrors, and these can be finely tuned (in terms of their composition and thickness) to obtain optical surfaces with a wide variety of specific reflection properties, such as wavelength specific mirrors and two-way mirrors (the ones that are transparent from one side but reflective from the other). Thin films are also very useful for coating semiconductors to tune their conductive properties for different applications. 

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