Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yanfeng Wang, Fei Yang, Zhengjun Zhang, Yiping Zhao
Summary: Transparent metallic films (TMFs) are the best candidates among transparent conductive films (TCFs) due to their ability to maintain high electrical conductivity and optical transparency simultaneously under mechanical deformation. Empirical relationships and a figure-of-merit expression have been proposed to predict the overall quality and performance of TMFs, particularly in silver nanohole array TMFs. The experimental data and theoretical predictions show that a beta value of 5 is better for characterizing the performance of nanohole array TMFs compared to beta value of 10 for TCFs.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ryan D. McCurdy, Aidan Delgado, Jingwei Jiang, Junmian Zhu, Ethan Chi Ho Wen, Raymond E. Blackwell, Gregory C. Veber, Shenkai Wang, Steven G. Louie, Felix R. Fischer
Summary: Metallic graphenenanoribbons (GNRs) are essential for low-dimensional functional materials technology as 1D interconnects for electronic and quantum information transport. However, the design and assembly of metallic GNRs have been hindered by the structural constraints in on-surface bottom-up synthesis and limited control over the orientation and sequence of asymmetric monomer building blocks during polymerization. In this study, we report the successful synthesis of GNRs with robust metallic states by embedding a symmetric zero-mode superlattice along the backbone.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Zofia Krzeminska, Janusz E. E. Jacak, Witold A. A. Jacak
Summary: The damping of plasmons in metallic nanoparticles is much greater than that caused by scattering and other factors. This is particularly noticeable in nanometer-scale confinement. The coupling of plasmons to nearby absorbing media cannot be fully explained by classical electrodynamic treatment and requires the application of the quantum Fermi golden rule. The perfect cancellation of radiative losses in metallic nano-chains cannot be modeled using conventional optical constants.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Chia Ho Wu, Chengyang Liu, Xianqing Lin, Wei Wang, Yi Chun Guo, Zhuoyuan Wang, Guoqiang Ye, Fang He, Donghua Ni, Xiaolong Wang, Linfang Shen, Jianqi Shen, Zhengbing Cai, Gang Chen
Summary: In this study, a photonic analog of Peierls transition was observed in a 1-D triangular metal diaphragm array, where photonic bandgap structures were designed by adjusting metal diaphragm positions. Numerical analysis and experimental measurements confirmed the importance of photonic Peierls transition for designing new types of guided wave devices.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Optics
Mohsen Samadi, Pooya Alibeigloo, Abolfazl Aqhili, Mohammad Ali Khosravi, Farahnaz Saeidi, Shoaib Vasini, Mostafa Ghorbanzadeh, Sara Darbari, Mohammad Kazem Moravvej-Farshi
Summary: Plasmonic tweezers are indispensable tools for manipulating micro and nano-objects with high precision, utilizing surface plasmon technology to trap particles beyond the diffraction limit. Trapping-potential landscape can be reconfigured by designing plasmonic nanostructures.
OPTICS AND LASERS IN ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Huiyan Kong, Luyi Huang, Min Li, Ling Zhang, Heping Zeng
Summary: In this study, we assembled cadmium telluride on an AuAg alloy substrate and achieved five times stronger THz emission than silicon substrate. We also found that the enhancement can be controlled by adjusting the thickness of the semiconductor materials and plasmonic metal substrates. These findings are important for the development of terahertz photonic devices.
Article
Physics, Applied
Chong Wang, Yangye Sun, Shenyang Huang, Qiaoxia Xing, Guowei Zhang, Chaoyu Song, Fanjie Wang, Yuangang Xie, Yuchen Lei, Zhengzong Sun, Hugen Yan
Summary: The observation of hyperbolic plasmon resonance modes in exfoliated WTe2 films has opened up possibilities for developing a tunable and scalable plasmonic system. By growing large-area WTe2 films with different thicknesses, it has been demonstrated that plasmon frequency can be tuned by changing the temperature and film thickness. This development could have applications in sensing, imaging, and light modulation.
PHYSICAL REVIEW APPLIED
(2021)
Article
Optics
Victor Pacheco-Pena, Toby Hallam, Noel Healy
Summary: MXenes, as an emerging class of two-dimensional materials, show significant potential for use in next generation optoelectronic sensors. By tuning the plasma frequencies, they can produce plasmon resonances across different spectral ranges, adding a degree of freedom to the sensing mechanism.
LIGHT-SCIENCE & APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Songsong Li, Yangyang Fu, Lei Gao, Jian-Hua Jiang, Yadong Xu
Summary: In this study, the concept of phase gradient metasurfaces is demonstrated to be a versatile approach for controlling light diffraction through small holes or slits. A single subwavelength metallic slit surrounded by air grooves of gradient depth is considered as an example. The phase gradient enables unidirectional excitation of surface plasmons, resulting in extraordinary optical transmission. Unidirectional radiation of an optical dipole inside the slit can be achieved by applying different phase gradients to both sides of the metal plate.
NEW JOURNAL OF PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Lihua Cha, Pan Li
Summary: In this study, we developed an in situ etching technique to fabricate tapered metallic nanowires with excellent plasmonic waveguiding properties. These nanowires have smooth surfaces and can be used for nanocircuits and remote-excitation sources.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Luis Cerdan, Alejandro Manjavacas
Summary: Metallic nanostructures with optical gain show enhanced optical responses and can be used to explore phenomena such as parity-time symmetry and nonreciprocity. However, the complexity of these systems often requires simplified gain models. In this study, we analyzed the optical response of a small active metallic nanoparticle using a semianalytical model that accounts for the nonlinear nature of the gain. We found that the optical response of the nanoparticle is greatly enhanced under weak probe fields, but becomes passive when the probe field strength depletes the excited-state population of the gain medium. Our results help to clarify the limits of linear models used to describe gain in plasmonic nanostructures, opening up new possibilities for applications.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C
(2023)
Article
Optics
Sumit Goswami, Ashwini Kumar Sharma
Summary: In this study, the overall film thickness dependency of metallic indium-rich indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films on lossy mode resonance (LMR) properties was explored using a Kretschmann-Raether geometry. The depth of LMR was found to increase monotonically with increasing film thickness, and the LMR positions were considerably redshifted. Numerical simulations based on a modified transfer matrix method were used to effectively simulate the LMR spectra of vacuum-deposited ITO thin films, taking into account surface roughness and anisotropic Bruggemann effective medium approximation. As an application, refractive index (RI) sensing was demonstrated, achieving high sensitivity values for transverse electric and transverse magnetic polarizations. This study provides a deeper understanding of the effect of film thickness on thin film-based LMR and highlights metallic indium-rich ITO as an excellent material for LMR studies.
JOURNAL OF THE OPTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA B-OPTICAL PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Vivek Garg, Brajendra S. Sengar, Gaurav Siddharth, Shailendra Kumar, Victor V. Atuchin, Shaibal Mukherjee
Summary: This methodology triggers plasmonic excitations by inducing the formation of nanoclusters of constituent elements in sputtered ultrathin CIGSe films. The unique approach improves solar cell performance parameters by supplementing the optical path length without the need for externally supplied metal nanoparticles.
SURFACES AND INTERFACES
(2021)
Article
Physics, Applied
Gregory J. Chaplain, Richard Craster, Nick Cole, Alastair P. Hibbins, Timothy A. Starkey
Summary: Research has shown that Scholte modes localized between a submerged axisymmetric structured elastic plate and surrounding fluid can be converted into radiative modes via Umklapp diffraction, with experiments confirming the focusing of underwater sound across a wide range of frequencies. This focusing phenomenon is achieved through structured beams forming a cone at a desired spatial position associated with an abrupt change in the patterning of the plate.
PHYSICAL REVIEW APPLIED
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Shaopeng Li, Qibing Sun
Summary: This paper theoretically investigates real-space anisotropic plasmons in WTe2 thin films. The study demonstrates anisotropic near-field plasmonic images with specific interference patterns and isofrequency curves in momentum space. The research reveals a topological transition from elliptic to hyperbolic regime due to the frequency selective forbidden of plasmons along the b axis, and the plasmons and topological transition display significant electrostatic-gating tunability.
IEEE PHOTONICS JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Changyeong Jeong, Yong-Bum Park, L. Jay Guo
Summary: The introduction of an ultrathin silver film as a transparent electrode helps eliminate waveguide mode in OLEDs and enhances external quantum efficiency. By designing an OLED structure below the cutoff thickness of waveguide mode, waveguide mode can be effectively eliminated, promoting cost-effective high-efficiency OLEDs.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yunlong Zhang, Zhang Liu, Chengang Ji, Xinliang Chen, Guofu Hou, Yuelong Li, Xin Zhou, Xinghua Cui, Xiufang Yang, Chengchao Ren, Dong Liu, L. Jay Guo, Ying Zhao, Xiaodan Zhang
Summary: Transparent conductors are crucial for optoelectronic and flexible electronic devices, with oxide/metal/oxide (OMO) multilayer films showing promise as an alternative to traditional transparent conductive oxides (TCOs). However, deposition methods like magnetron sputtering or thermal evaporation can lead to device performance deterioration due to ion bombardment or high temperatures. New techniques, such as reactive plasma deposition (RPD) for high-quality MGZO films and ultrathin Ag films prepared by magnetron sputtering, are being explored to improve conductivity and transmittance in OMO structures.
ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Zhang Liu, Yalu Zou, Chengang Ji, Xinliang Chen, Guofu Hou, Cong Zhang, Xiangjian Wan, L. Jay Guo, Ying Zhao, Xiaodan Zhang
Summary: High-quality transparent conductive materials are crucial for enhancing charge transfer, light transmission, and reducing production costs in optoelectronic devices. This study explores a novel Zn doping strategy and gas doping technology to fabricate ultrathin Ag-Zn(O) films, significantly improving the broad-spectrum characteristics of OMO films. The combination of ultrathin Ag-Zn(O) layers with MGZO oxide films leads to a high-performance broad-spectrum optoelectronic devices, showing potential for diverse applications.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Sangeon Lee, L. Jay Guo
Summary: This study investigates the mechanical and electrical characteristics of flexible transparent conductive electrodes under bending conditions and explains their failure mechanisms. The results show that a thin metallic layer can enhance the mechanical stability of the DMD, tune the mechanical properties of the cohesive layer, and improve the electrode fracture resistance.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Heyan Wang, Yilei Zhang, Chengang Ji, Cheng Zhang, Zhengang Lu, Yunfei Liu, Zhibo Cao, Jing Yuan, Jiubin Tan, L. Jay Guo
Summary: This study introduces a method for efficient broadband microwave absorption by introducing strongly overlapped multi-cavity resonances, supported by multi-layer structures comprising of alternating graphene/silica pairs and ultrathin silver films. The design guidelines and complementary effects of different graphene layers on the microwave absorption mechanism are proposed for the first time. Experimental results show high absorption efficiency and visible transmittance of the proposed multi-layer structures.
ADVANCED MATERIALS INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Yong-Bum Park, Changyeong Jeong, L. Jay Guo
Summary: Understanding the electrical and optical properties of ultrathin metal films at sub-10 nm thickness is crucial for their application as transparent conductors. As the thickness approaches a critical value, a rapid change in the properties occurs, influenced by the film's inhomogeneity and size-effect contributions, leading to significant alterations in carrier scattering time, resistivity, optical loss, and transmission. The critical thickness serves as a key engineering metric for determining the maximum theoretical figure-of-merit for transparent conductors using thin metal films.
ADVANCED ELECTRONIC MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Benjamin A. Rorem, Tae H. Cho, Nazanin Farjam, Julia D. Lenef, Kira Barton, Neil P. Dasgupta, L. Jay Guo
Summary: We demonstrate the tunable structural color patterns using ALD technology. The color response can be precisely adjusted by tuning the thickness of zinc oxide layer. This method enables uniform and tunable coloration of nonplanar three-dimensional objects.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Anwesha Saha, Taigao Ma, Haozhu Wang, L. Jay Guo
Summary: Decorative chrome plating is widely used for attractive metal finishings, but it is hazardous to workers and harmful to the environment. To overcome these issues, we propose a multilayer thin film structure that mimics chrome appearance and achieve additional functionalities beyond decoration using a reinforcement learning algorithm. Experimental results show indistinguishable chrome color and validate the effectiveness of the inverse design approach.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Yun Zhang, Wei-Jie Feng, Wenkai Zhu, Xiwei Shan, Wei-Kuan Lin, L. Jay Guo, Tian Li
Summary: We demonstrate a universally applicable coloration strategy for polymer-based radiative cooling materials by nanoimprinting. By modulating light interference with periodic structures on polymer surfaces, specular colors can be induced while maintaining the hemispheric optical responses of radiative cooling polymers. The retrofit strategy is exemplified by four different polymer films with a minimum impact on optical responses compared to the pristine films. The potential roll-to-roll manufacturing empowers a scalable, low-cost, and easy-retrofitting solution for colored radiative cooling films.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Jennie J. Paik, Boonjae Jang, Sunghyun Nam, L. Jay Guo
Summary: This study presents a physically crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-based hydrogel that acts as a transparent strain-sensing skin adhesive for motion monitoring. By incorporating Zn2+ into the ice-templated PVA gel, a dense amorphous structure is observed, allowing the material to stretch up to 800% strain. Fabrication in a binary glycerol:water solvent results in electrical resistance in the k omega range, a gauge factor of 0.84, and ionic conductivity on the scale of 10(-4) S cm(-1), making it a promising low-cost candidate for stretchable electronic materials. The study also investigates the relationship between improved electrical performance and polymer-polymer interactions using spectroscopic techniques.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Wei-Jie Feng, Chengang Ji, L. Jay Guo
Summary: A full solution-based method is presented for fabricating multilayer thin film stacks for structural color applications, avoiding the need for high vacuum processes. Copper/silicon dioxide/copper (Cu/SiO2/Cu) and copper/titanium dioxide/copper (Cu/TiO2/Cu) are chosen as the model system due to their simple structure and tunable color. A systematic investigation is conducted to ensure good film quality and compatibility with previous layers. The manipulation of dielectric thickness and top Cu morphology on different substrates allows for the achievement of both primary and secondary colors.
ADVANCED OPTICAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Wei-Jie Feng, Yian Cheng, L. Jay Guo
Summary: This paper presents a new approach to understanding the spectral behavior of a Fabry-Perot-type trilayer stack for subtractive structural color using temporal coupled mode analysis. The cavity-based analysis can accurately fit reflection spectra and predict color chromaticity, even without considering material dispersion. The research shows that maximizing both absorptive and radiative decay rates, while matching them, is the key to producing the most chromatic color.
Review
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Danyan Wang, Zeyang Liu, Haozhu Wang, Moxin Li, L. Jay Guo, Cheng Zhang
Summary: Recent years have seen rapid development in the field of structural coloration, which is generated from the interaction of nanostructures with light. Compared to traditional color generation methods, structural coloration offers unique advantages in terms of spatial resolution, operational stability, environmental friendliness, and multiple functionality. This review discusses the recent developments in structural coloration based on layered thin films and optical metasurfaces. It covers the fundamentals of color science, physical mechanisms for structural color generation, optimization methods for efficient structure parameter searching, fabrication techniques for large-scale and low-cost manufacturing, device designs for dynamic displaying, and diverse applications in printing, sensing, and advanced photovoltaics.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Shengjun Zhou, Xiaoyu Zhao, Peng Du, Ziqi Zhang, Xu Liu, Sheng Liu, L. Jay Guo
Summary: This review introduces the application of patterned sapphire substrates (PSS) in III-nitride emitters and summarizes the fabrication methods and nanoscale patterned structure definitions of PSS. Research shows that PSS can reduce the threading dislocation density (TDD) in epilayers and enhance the light extraction efficiency. The structural parameters of PSS also have an impact on LED performances. Finally, the challenges and potential prospects of PSS in future LED development are proposed.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Xiao Han, Ziyang Fan, Zeyang Liu, Chao Li, L. Jay Guo
Summary: A systematic method based on neural networks is proposed in this article to address the design issue of metasurface structures capable of filtering light of a specific wavelength range in the visible band. This method is faster compared to traditional methods and can generate structures with spectra resembling the desired ones.
