Aluminum‐coated elastomer thin films for the fabrication of a ferrofluidic deformable mirror

Abstract

ABSTRACT A procedure for the fabrication of aluminum‐coated reflective PDMS thin films having a low surface roughness and high reflectance is presented. Elastomer films are prepared by spin‐coating on a sacrificial layer that permits subsequent release from the substrate. Appropriate surface treatments are established for the deposition of a thin, highly reflective metal coating. The composite membranes are deposited on an ethylene glycol based ferrofluid to fabricate a new ferrofluidic deformable mirror. Surface deformations of a few micrometers can be produced with low strength magnetic fields. The reflective elastomer membranes do not alter the rheological behavior of the ferrofluid in magnetic fields and thus offer new perspectives for the use of ferrofluidic mirrors in adaptive optics. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134 , 44542.