Transient and Flexible Hyperbolic Metamaterials on Freeform Surfaces

Abstract

Transient technology is deemed as a paramount breakthrough for its particular functionality that can be implemented at a specific time and then totally dissolved. Hyperbolic metamaterials (HMMs) with high wave-vector modes for negative refraction or with high photonic density of states to robustly enhance the quantum transformation efficiency represent one of the emerging key elements for generating not-yet realized optoelectronics devices. However, HMMs has not been explored for implementing in transient technology. Here we show the first attempt to integrate transient technology with HMMs, i.e., transient HMMs, composed of multilayers of water-soluble and bio-compatible polymer and metal. We demonstrate that our newly designed transient HMMs can also possess high-k modes and high photonic density of states, which enables to dramatically enhance the light emitter covered on top of HMMs. We show that these transient HMMs devices loss their functionalities after immersing into deionized water within 5 min. Moreover, when the transient HMMs are integrated with a flexible substrate, the device exhibits an excellent mechanical stability for more than 3000 bending cycles. We anticipate that the transient HMMs developed here can serve as a versatile platform to advance transient technology for a wide range of application, including solid state lighting, optical communication, and wearable optoelectronic devices, etc.

Enhanced laser action from smart fabrics made with rollable hyperbolic metamaterials

“…However, these demonstrations have primarily been done on rigid substrates. Previously, there exists only one demonstration of flexible HMMs on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate, however the limited curvature radius of 20 mm reduces its potential application in flexible photonic systems 31 . To fully explore the excellent functionalities of HMM, large degree of flexibility and even rollability are highly desirable, which remains as a challenge issue.…”

Nanoscale Core–Shell Hyperbolic Structures for Ultralow Threshold Laser Action: An Efficient Platform for the Enhancement of Optical Manipulation

“…17,18 Moreover, these high-k modes are realized as the volume plasmon polaritons emerged from the intercoupling effect of SPPs by the metal−dielectric interfaces. 19,20 Several intriguing developments have then been unveiled, including ultrahigh sensitive biosensors, 21 robustly enhanced fluorescence emission, 22,23 and increase in the charge-transfer dynamics for photonics, optoelectronics, and chemistry. 24,25 Considering the van der Waals heterostructures with atomic thickness, HMMs have been proven to assist the carriers transfer in between graphene and hexagonal boron nitride through a strong nearfield coupling that opened a new era in nanoelectronics.…”

Unprecedented Fluorophore Photostability Enabled by Low‐Loss Organic Hyperbolic Materials

“…For Ag, the resonance peak wavelength is centered around 440 nm, [ 39 ] and for Au it is centered at 620 nm. [ 40–42 ] TiN‐based HMMs, [ 43,44 ] Ag‐based HMMs, [ 20,21,23,33,45–50 ] and Au‐based HMMs [ 40,51,52 ] support a broadband but relatively small PF. The OHMs used in this work provide PFs two orders of magnitude larger than the values found in those plasmonic materials, and even comparable to the values attained by using plasmonic nanostructures such as nanoantennae, [ 11,41 ] nanocavities, [ 53 ] and nanogratings [ 21,48 ] in the spectral range of 480–560 nm.…”