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INNOVATION
Dynamic hybrid meta-material structure for achieving optical surface shape control
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Market Maturity: Exploring
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Market Creation Potential
This innovation was assessed by the JRC’s Market Creation Potential indicator framework as addressing the needs of existing markets and existing customers. Learn more
Women-led innovation
A woman had a leadership role in developing this innovation in at least one of the Key Innovator organisations listed below.
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UN Sustainable Development Goals(SDG)
This innovation contributes to the following SDG(s)
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 7
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

The UN explains: "Energy is central to nearly every major challenge and opportunity the world faces today. Be it for jobs, security, climate change, food production or increasing incomes, access to energy for all is essential.

Transitioning the global economy towards clean and sustainable sources of energy is one of our greatest challenges in the coming decades. Sustainable energy is an opportunity – it transforms lives, economies and the planet."

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 9
Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

The UN explains: "Investments in infrastructure – transport, irrigation, energy and information and communication technology – are crucial to achieving sustainable development and empowering communities in many countries. It has long been recognized that growth in productivity and incomes, and improvements in health and education outcomes require investment in infrastructure."

The EU-funded Research Project
This innovation was developed under the Horizon Europe project Live-Mirror with an end date of 31/01/2027
  • Read more about this project on CORDIS
Description of Project Live-Mirror
We propose to develop ultralight, self-correcting mirrors for use in the next generation of large optical telescopes and solar energy concentrators. Presently, the best mirrors have a density of about one-half a metric-ton per square-meter or more in order to provide the stiffness which is necessary to keep the optical shape under the variable conditions given by the changing gravity vector as the telescopes track a position on the sky, as well as to withstand variable wind conditions. We intend to replace such a massive mirror with a “sandwich” of very light, optically perfect, “fire-glass” (window pane) coated sheets stiffened with layers of Electro-active polymers that can be deposited through additive manufacturing 3D printers. The sheets of glass will be heated to ~800o C in a pressurized, tailored made kiln and allowed to relax (their backside) onto a suitable mould, cast to a predetermined off-axis aspheric (parabolic) shape, while keeping the temperature below the de-vitrification temperature of the glass thus preserving the excellent optical surface quality of fire-glass window pane. Using the addressable energy of the Electro-active polymers will provide not only dynamically self-controlled stiffness but also variable push-pull action real-time multi-sensing controlled and calibrated in order to keep the optical surface to a “live-perfect” shape under general operating conditions. These “Live-Mirrors” shall provide optical surfaces of as high a quality as those of the current best telescopes but with larger dynamic range and a reduction in weight and cost of more than one order of magnitude. Such mirrors will allow the development of 50-100 meter-class telescopes as well as of the next generation of space telescopes. On the ground, they will also offer very low cost options for the next generation of solar energy concentrators and for antennas used for optical communications.

Innnovation Radar's analysis of this innovation is based on data collected on 21/03/2024.
The unique id of this innovation in the European Commission's IT systems is: 119881