Recent advances in the efficient production and transmission of optical power offer the prospect of mechanical work done directly by light.  Mechanical work, involving forces and the motion of bodies, however, involves the transfer of momentum, something which light has only in negligible quantities in this instance.  The only practical source of momentum is the environment, and the role of photomechanical materials is to negotiate and implement momentum transfer between the environment and the load, with light paying the energy cost of the transfer.  In this talk, I will discuss aspects of this process, offer a tentative perspective on some salient details and give illustrative examples from leading researchers in the field.

Work from light:  The role of photomechanical materials

ACS Fall 2021

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